Former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi, has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately suspend enforcement of key provisions of the Armed Forces Act 2004, which mandate the retirement of military personnel after 35 years of service or upon reaching the age of 60.
In a strongly worded public statement, Akinyemi described the regulation as a “British-era” policy that no longer aligns with Nigeria’s security realities. He argued that the nation’s escalating insecurity requires exceptional measures and a rapid expansion of active-duty forces.
The former minister noted that similar retirement rules were temporarily lifted during the Second World War by the British, and again during Nigeria’s Civil War, in order to bolster troop strength. Nigeria, he said, now faces another critical moment that demands comparable flexibility.
“Nigeria urgently needs a strengthened military presence to confront escalating insecurity and safeguard our sovereignty,” he wrote.
Akinyemi urged President Tinubu to recall all officers and soldiers who retired within the past six months, describing the move as necessary to increase the number of trained personnel available for immediate deployment.
He added that such a recall should be part of a broader strategy to ensure that the armed forces have adequate “boots on the ground” nationwide.
The statement also called for a nationwide recruitment drive into the armed forces to reinforce security coverage across all states and regions. Akinyemi argued that a stronger, more widely distributed military presence is essential to restoring public confidence and ensuring territorial control.
In one of the most striking recommendations, Akinyemi urged President Tinubu to declare a nationwide state of emergency and suspend constitutional immunity for state governors.
He said that any governor under whose watch terrorists or armed groups operate “freely and with impunity” should be held accountable, adding that states failing to contain insecurity may need to be placed under temporary military administration.
Akinyemi further called for the establishment of military tribunals to prosecute terrorists and collaborators. He said such tribunals should be empowered to impose the maximum penalty under Nigerian law — including the death sentence — where guilt is proven beyond reasonable doubt.
He condemned the growing brazenness of armed groups, saying Nigeria must not tolerate situations in which terrorists “freely appear at social gatherings armed and unchallenged.”
Professor A. Bolaji Akinyemi, a distinguished academic and diplomat, previously served as Nigeria’s Minister of External Affairs and has been a vocal contributor to national security and foreign policy debates.
His full statement reads:
I respectfully call on His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, to suspend the enforcement of the Armed Forces Act 2004 provision—an inherited British-era policy—that mandates the retirement of military personnel after 35 years of service or upon attaining 60 years of age.
History provides clear precedents for such a step. During the Second World War, when the British required additional boots on the ground, the same law was temporarily set aside. Similarly, during Nigeria’s Civil War, these retirement provisions were relaxed to meet urgent national security needs. Today, our nation again finds itself in a situation that requires exceptional measures. Nigeria urgently needs a strengthened military presence to confront escalating insecurity and safeguard our sovereignty.
Accordingly, I urge President Tinubu to suspend the current retirement requirements and to recall, without delay, all officers and soldiers who have retired within the past six months. This recall should form part of a broader, strategic effort to reinforce our armed forces and have adequate “boots” on the ground.
In addition, I call on the President to authorize a nationwide, large-scale recruitment drive into the Nigerian Armed Forces, ensuring that every state and region is properly garrisoned and adequately secured. This is essential to restoring confidence, stability, and territorial control across the federation.
I further recommend that the President declare a nationwide state of emergency. During this period, constitutional immunity for Governors should be suspended so that any Governor under whose jurisdiction terrorist groups operate freely and with impunity can be held accountable. Where necessary, such a state may be temporarily placed under military administration to restore order and protect citizens.
Finally, I call on President Tinubu to establish a military tribunal to try terrorists and their confirmed collaborators. Where guilt is established beyond reasonable doubt, the tribunal should be empowered to impose the maximum penalty under the law – the death penalty.
Nigeria must not tolerate a situation in which members of terrorist organizations freely appear at social gatherings armed and unchallenged. Our nation’s security demands decisive, coordinated, and courageous action.
