The headquarters of the Ministry of Defence in Abuja was shut down on Monday by the Joint Executive Council of the ministry’s civilian staff, protesting the alleged brutalization of their members by military personnel.
The protests have escalated tensions within the ministry, highlighting serious concerns about the treatment of civilian staff by military authorities.
The President of the Council, Didam Joel, highlighted alarming incidents, including the detention of a civilian staff member by military authorities for over a month and the brutalization of an assistant director at Command Secondary School, Ojo, Lagos.
These incidents reportedly occurred without adherence to civil service regulations, stirring unrest among civilian employees.
The protest saw the civilian staff assembling outside the Defence Headquarters, demanding justice and an end to the harsh treatment.
Joel asserted, “This action is necessary to safeguard our members from indiscriminate abuse and ensure that military and civilian personnel are treated with mutual respect.”
Sources within the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in the army revealed to Channels TV disturbing details.
One notable case involved Ambrose Akhigbe, allegedly brutalized by a private soldier under the command of Lieutenant Akubor, who is now hospitalized due to the severity of his injuries.
Further allegations surfaced about a laboratory scientist in the Naval Reference Hospital at Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, who was reportedly killed two months ago under brutal circumstances.
“We were at the heat of it, the person controlling the current crop of soldiers in all command schools in Lagos including some civilian PSOs, are backing these shameful acts of killing MOD staff at duty posts.
“We therefore demand the complete overhaul of the command schools by returning the schools to their original structure of standard school system, to be headed by professional education officers in the Ministry of Defence and they can only provide security if they wish.
“The management of MOD should be aware that we are not backing down on this as we don’t know who is next,” the ASCSN official said.
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