A group of retired soldiers have on Monday staged a protest over unpaid entitlements, demanding for the immediate payment of outstanding shortfalls in their gratuity, parking allowance and Security Debarment Allowance (SDA).

The group under the aegis the of first and second quarter voluntary discharged soldiers of 2023, who disengaged from the army in February, 2024, reportedly barricaded the main gate of the Federal Ministry of Finance in Abuja to agitate over their unpaid entitlements.

Addressing newsmen, Corporal Eze Mose (Rtd), said they pleaded with the government to pay their entitlements as they do not want to indulge in crime.

“We served the army for years, and our entitlements have not been paid, we don’t want to be tempted to commit crime.

“If almost 1,000 of us should go and carry arms, I think the country will turn to slavery, and we don’t want that, we want to beg for our entitlements to be paid,” Moses said.

On his part, Staff-Sergeant Simeon David (Rtd), said they had been short paid for some time now.

“Instead of them to calculate it well with the new rate they used the old rate.

“They have been promising to pay and we have been waiting patiently to see what they are going to do. Up till now, we have not heard from them, so we have to come and see by ourselves,” he said.

Corporal Umar Umar, said that the Military Pensions Board informed them they were not entitled to the new national minimum wage adjustments, citing their disengagement date of July 1, 2024, as the reason.

“This is unacceptable. We gave our best years to the nation.

“Many of us are suffering while the system continues to deny us what is rightfully ours, this is a deliberate neglect,” Umar said.

Reacting to the demands of the soldiers, the Permanent Secretary, Special Duties, assured them that the government would look into their demands.