Former soldiers clashed with police in Abuja yesterday after the retired servicemen barricaded the Keffi expressway, shutting down much of the capital for hours.
The protest erupted outside the Mogadishu Cantonment because the government has not paid soldiers’ pensions, former servicemen said.
Protestors mobbed FCT commissioner of police, Mr. Lawrence Alobi and his car was smashed.
The pensioners threw rocks at the police and the police fired teargas into the crowd, but the former servicemen did not move for five hours, preventing all morning traffic getting to Abuja until just before midday.
Some pensioners said they would return today (Thursday) for more protests if their money wasn’t paid.
The leader of the military retirees, Lance Corporal Andy Okeke said unless all the servicemen who retired from the army between 2001 and 2004 are paid their pension, they would picket the April elections.
He said: “We are ready to obstruct the conduct of the general elections if our pensions are not paid, and the pension must be paid complete. We have suffered enough. We are ready to lay our lives for that.”
Dozens of heavily armed soldiers wearing bullet proof jackets and carrying AK-47 rifles and Grenade Launchers were drafted in but did not attack the pensioners.
One retiree said: “Instead of paying us our money, they want to intimidate us. They forget that we have faced death many times before.”
Mr. Alobi confirmed to newsmen in his office later that he and his orderly Cpl Thomas Kazier were wounded in the attack.
He said: “When they saw us they charged towards us. They shouted that police should not interfere in military matters.”
Witness Solomon Oti said teargas canisters were smothered by the protestors. The protestors chased the police away. Some of the policemen were chased into a bush.
The Minister of Defence, Ambassador Aguiyi Ironsi came at 10.15am to address the protesters. He blamed the accountant- general for the delay in payment.
He said: “You must understand the present process whereby the accountant-general, budget office and pencom must go through your documents before payment can be made.” The pensioners should have been invited to Abuja to verify their documents in batches rather than all at once, he said.
The minister appealed to the protesters to follow him into the barracks to sort out the problem.
Retirees told the minister that their documents had been lost in the military pensions office. Many complained their payments were short of the full amount. Another said they were paying ex-soldiers that retired in 2006 before those that retired earlier.
Before leaving the barracks, the minister asked the chairman military pensions board to handle the situation.