The Nigerian Army has suspended all statutory and voluntary retirements for selected categories of officers following President Bola Tinubu’s declaration of a nationwide security emergency on November 26 amid a surge in mass abductions.
An internal memo dated December 3 and signed by Maj. Gen. E. I. Okoro said the move is to retain manpower, experience, and operational capacity as security agencies expand recruitment and deployments nationwide.
The directive applies to officers who failed promotion or conversion boards three times, were passed over thrice, reached age ceilings, or completed 35 years of service, citing provisions of the HTACOS 2024 that allow extensions “in the interest of the service.”
It noted, “to rapidly expand manpower, it has become expedient to temporarily suspend all statutory and voluntary retirements… with immediate effect.”