Civilian staff of the Ministry of Defence, represented by the Joint Executive Council, staged a protest at the ministry’s headquarters in Abuja, condemning the alleged brutalization of their members by military personnel.
The Joint Executive Council encompasses all affiliate unions of civilian staff working within the Ministry of Defence.
During the protest, demonstrators held placards with messages such as “We are not slaves in the military’s hands.” Speaking to journalists on Tuesday, June 11, Didam Joel, president of the council, highlighted the repeated instances of abuse faced by civilian staff at the hands of military officers.
Joel detailed recent incidents, including the month-long detention of a civilian staff member and the death of another two months ago.
“It’s a sad day for us. Videos are circulating showing our civilian assistant director being brutalized by soldiers at the command secondary school in Lagos,” Joel said. “One of our members, Comrade Richard, was killed two months ago. Despite our calls for action, the management has yet to respond. Last month, another civilian staff member was locked in a guardroom for a month, and it took the intervention of the permanent secretary to secure his release. This brutality continues, and we feel endangered within the Ministry of Defence, leading us to withdraw our services nationwide.”
Joel asserted that the protests would persist until the Minister of Defence addresses their concerns and meets their demands.
“Richard has died, and many others have been brutalized. We must put an end to this brutality and killing of civilian staff. We cannot tolerate it any longer,” he stated.
An official from the Association of Senior Civil Servants of Nigeria (ASCSN) in the army told Channels TV that on Monday, June 10, Ambrose Akhigbe, a civilian, was assaulted by a private soldier under the command of Lt. Akubor. Akhigbe is currently hospitalized due to his injuries.
The official also mentioned that a laboratory scientist at the Naval Reference Hospital in Navy Town, Ojo, Lagos, was “brutally killed” two months ago.
“We are facing severe challenges. The current crop of soldiers in all command schools in Lagos, backed by certain civilian PSOs, are responsible for these heinous acts against MOD staff at their duty posts,” he said. “We demand a complete overhaul of the command schools, returning them to a standard school system managed by professional education officers from the Ministry of Defence, with optional security provision. The management of MOD must understand that we will not back down, as we fear for our safety.”
watch video of the assault below :
Video: Defence ministry staff protest brutalisation by military
— Vanguard Newspapers (@vanguardngrnews) June 11, 2024
The civilian staff of the Ministry of Defence, under the umbrella of the Joint Executive Council, has protested at the ministry's headquarters in Abuja over alleged brutalization of their members by the military.… pic.twitter.com/fmCYTw7s4j
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