Military retirees barricade pensions board office in Abuja over payment dispute

Retired military personnel on Tuesday barricaded the entrance to the Military Pensions Board office in Dutse Alhaji, Abuja, protesting alleged discrepancies in their pension adjustments.

The veterans blocked access to the premises with canopies and chairs, while armed soldiers prevented them from entering the facility.

According to Daily Post, the protest followed growing dissatisfaction over the formula adopted to calculate pension increases for retired personnel.

The demonstration comes weeks after military retirees protested at the Ministry of Defence in September, demanding improved pensions following salary increases for serving personnel.

Defence Minister Christopher Musa had assured the veterans that their pensions would increase in October.

However, the Coordinator of the Veterans Association of Nigeria, retired Lieutenant Colonel Innocent Azubike, accused the board of adopting a formula that allegedly short-changed some retirees.

The veterans argued that the calculations failed to adequately reflect salary adjustments granted to serving military personnel.

They demanded a review of the formula to ensure fair and transparent pension payments.