On Thursday, a group of retired Nigerian soldiers staged a protest at the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja. They blocked the entrance to demand the release of their unpaid pension benefits.

The ex-servicemen said they were promised their outstanding payments by August 10, but the Finance Ministry failed to fulfill that commitment.

This protest comes shortly after a similar demonstration on August 4, which they had paused after meeting with officials from the Ministries of Defence and Finance. At that meeting, the veterans were assured that the backlog of payments would be cleared.

Speaking to journalists, one of the protesters, identified only as Mama G, explained why they returned to the streets:
“Promises were made to us, but nothing has been done. We had no choice but to protest again. This time, it will be bigger.”

Over the years, retired soldiers and senior citizens have repeatedly protested in Abuja and other cities, expressing frustration over delays in pension payments and what they see as neglect by the authorities.

At the time of this report, the Ministry of Defence, Defence Headquarters, and the Military Pensions Board had not commented on the protest.