Retirees sue military for non -payment of allowances

Retired military officers on Tuesday dragged the Army, Navy and Air Force to court over non-payment of debarment allowance instituted in 2012.

The retirees instituted a class action against the forces at the National Industrial Court Abuja, claiming they were yet to access the funds since 2012.

The debarment allowance is a lump sum to be paid to all retirees, made up of 10 per cent of their total emolument per annum, multiplied by the number of years served.

The essence of the allowance is to equip the retired officers for other endeavours to foreclose them from taking on their wealth of military training on the society.

Joined as co-defendants in the suit are the Chief of Defence Staff; Director, Military Pension Board; Attorney-General; and Accountant-General of the Federation.

The retirees, among other reliefs sought, want the Harmonised Armed Forces Terms of Conditions of Service and Financial Regulation of the Armed Forces effected as instituted by law.

They claimed that effecting these two programmes was ample to the payment of debarment allowance to all retirees of the armed forces, dead or alive; irrespective of rank. However the defendants and their counsels were conspicuously absent in court but letters from the Chief of Defence Staff and Director, Military Pension Board explaining their absence were admitted in court.