Nigerian Army Suspends Officer Retirements Amid National Security Emergency

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.

An internal memo dated December 3, signed by Maj. Gen. E. I. Okoro on behalf of the Chief of Army Staff, and sighted by our correspondent, stated that the suspension of retirements is aimed at retaining manpower, experience, and operational capacity as the Armed Forces expand in response to rising insecurity.

The document, referencing the Harmonized Terms and Conditions of Service Officers (HTACOS) 2024, noted that although officers are ordinarily expected to retire upon reaching their age limit, completing 35 years of service, or after repeated promotion or conversion failures, service extension is permissible under Paragraph 3.10(e) in the interest of the military.

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The memo partly read: “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.

“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.”

According to the circular, the temporary suspension applies to officers who fall into the following categories: 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.

“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 memo stated.

It directed all commanders to disseminate the directive and manage morale, adding that the policy would be reviewed as the security situation improves.

President Bola Tinubu, on November 26, 2025, declared a nationwide security emergency and directed the military, police, and intelligence agencies to expand recruitment and deploy thousands of additional personnel.

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