ABUJA — Retired military personnel on Monday staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja, demanding the payment of their outstanding entitlements, including gratuities and the Security Debarment Allowance (SDA).

The demonstration, which began around 7 a.m., brought activities at the ministry to a standstill as the ex-servicemen and women blocked the main entrance, preventing staff and management from accessing the premises.

Carrying placards with messages such as “We are 1st and 2nd Quarter Retirees of NA 2003. We are living heroes and deserve to be recognized and treated right—not celebrated as fallen heroes when we are no more,” and “We the voluntary discharged soldiers of 2024 demand full payment of our benefits, including shortfalls in gratuity, SDA, parking allowance and four months’ salary cuts,” the protesters expressed deep frustration over what they described as prolonged neglect.

Identifying themselves as members of the Voluntary Discharged Soldiers group who left the Nigerian Army in the first half of 2024, the aggrieved ex-soldiers demanded immediate settlement of unpaid salaries, gratuities, pensions, and wage award palliatives.

Dressed in military camouflage, the protesters chanted solidarity songs and vowed to continue occupying the ministry until their demands were addressed.

Speaking to reporters, one of the protesters, Sgt Idris Usman, said, “Our disengagement was done formally, yet we’re now being told we’re not entitled to minimum wage adjustments or palliatives because we left in July.”

Another protester, retired Corporal Umar Faruq, highlighted a major grievance: the Military Pensions Board (MPB) allegedly claimed that those discharged on July 1, 2024, do not qualify for the new minimum wage.

Attempts by the Chairman of the MPB, Air Vice Marshal Abubakar Adamu, and other top military officials to calm the protesters were unsuccessful.

Later, senior Finance Ministry officials met with the MPB Chairman and representatives of the retirees behind closed doors to discuss possible resolutions. Although no official statement was issued after the meeting, sources revealed that government officials appealed for time to engage with the MPB and resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, security personnel, including soldiers, were deployed to the ministry to maintain order.