Breaking News: Ministry of Defence Headquarters in Abuja Closed by Civilian Staff In Protest Of Brutalization

In a dramatic turn of events, civilian staff under the Joint Executive Council have shut down the Ministry of Defence headquarters in Abuja, Federal Capital Territory. This action is a direct response to allegations of misconduct by soldiers against civilians.

The protest began early Monday morning, with hundreds of civilian employees blocking the ministry's entrance. The catalyst for this protest was the reported month-long detention of a civilian staff member by military authorities, despite the individual not being military personnel. Didam Joel, President of the Joint Executive Council, highlighted this and other incidents, including the recent brutalisation of an assistant director from the ministry working at Command Secondary School in Ojo, Lagos, in violation of civil service rules.

Joel explained that the Joint Executive Council comprises all affiliate unions representing the civilian staff in the Ministry of Defence.

In a related development, a member of the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in the army, Abuja, disclosed to Channel TV that one of the civilians assaulted on Monday by a private soldier under the command of Lt. Akubor was Ambrose Akhigbe, who is currently hospitalized. He also mentioned that a laboratory scientist at the Naval Reference Hospital in Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, was "brutally killed" just two months ago.

The ASCSN official condemned the leadership controlling the soldiers in command schools in Lagos, alleging their support for these violent actions against Ministry of Defence staff at their duty posts. The council is demanding a complete overhaul of the command schools, calling for their return to a standard school system headed by professional education officers from the Ministry of Defence, with military personnel providing security only if necessary.

"The management of the Ministry of Defence should be aware that we are not backing down as we don’t know who is next," the ASCSN official stated, underscoring the gravity of the situation and the determination of the civilian staff to see their demands met.