Army suspends retirement over insecurity

The Nigerian Army has suspended all statutory and voluntary retirements for certain categories of officers following the nationwide security emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu.

This is according to an internal memo dated December 3 and signed by Maj. Gen. E. I. Okoro on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff. 

The memo added, “Notwithstanding these provisions, Chapter 3.10(e) of HTACOS Officers 2024 allows for the extension of service to officers in the interest of the service. The President and Commander in Chief declared a nationwide security emergency on November 26, mandating the expansion of the AFN and other security agencies. In line with this, and to rapidly expand manpower, it has become expedient to temporarily suspend all statutory and voluntary retirements from the Nigerian Army with immediate effect.”

The memo, which was sighted by journalists, said the suspension is intended to retain manpower, experience, and operational capacity as the Armed Forces expand operations in response to worsening insecurity across the country.

The document, which referenced the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service Officers 2024, explained that while officers are ordinarily required to retire after reaching their age limit, completing 35 years of service, or following repeated promotion or conversion failures, service extension is allowed under existing rules in the interest of the military.

It stated, “Military service of a commissioned officer entails a period of unbroken service in the AFN from the date of enlistment or commissioning to the date of retirement. The period of service is determined by conditions enshrined in the HTACOS Officers 2024. These include attainment of age ceilings on various ranks, a maximum length of service of 35 years, and other criteria provided in Paragraphs 11.02(d) and 17.15, among extant regulations.”

According to the circular, the suspension applies to officers who failed promotion examinations three times, officers passed over three times at promotion boards, officers who have reached the age ceiling for their ranks, officers who failed conversion boards three times, and officers who have attained 35 years of service.

The memo stated, “Officers in these categories who are not interested in an extension of service are to continue with the normal retirement procedure. Officers desirous of extension should note that upon extension, they are not eligible for career progression, including promotion, career courses, NA sponsorship, self sponsored courses, secondment, or extra regimental appointments.”

The directive further instructed all commanders to disseminate the policy across formations and manage troop morale, noting that the suspension would be reviewed as the security situation improves. President Bola Tinubu had on November 26, 2025, declared a nationwide security emergency and ordered the military, police, and intelligence agencies to expand recruitment and deploy thousands of additional personnel nationwide.