Daily Independent Online.
*
Wednesday, June 30, 2004.
House summons Nigerian Legion over threat to assassinate
minister, others
By Chris Agbambu
Deputy
Bureau Chief,
Abuja
The House Committee
on Defence has summoned the Chairman of the Nigerian Legion, Group Captain
Charles Nnebuihe (rtd) and the secretary, Captain Adole (rtd) to appear before
it on Tuesday.
The summons
followed the threat by a group of military pensioners protesting the
non-payment of their benefits. They allegedly threatened to assassinate the
Minister of Defence, Alhaji Musa Kwankwaso, the Directorate of Military
Pensions Paymaster and the House of Representatives Defence Committee Chairman,
Mr. Wale Oke and his team.
Kwankwaso, who
returned from a 10-day tour of China early on Monday morning was jolted when he
was shown the petition to assassinate him and others by the unidentified group
of pensioners.
Defence sources
disclosed that the minister immediately summoned a meeting of his principal
officers and those connected with pension matters, while the executive of the
Nigerian Legion, was not left out of the meeting.
Following the
assassination threat, the minister ordered that his personal security be beefed
up.
Also, Monday, the
chairman of the Nigerian Legion alongside with his vice and the secretary
general were seen trying to consult with the principal officers in the Ministry
of Defence.
The group
threatened that they were arranging professional assassins to assassinate all
those concerned with their pensions if they were not paid.
According to the
contents of the threat letter, “we are going to kill you all this year
with bullets and suicide bombers where necessary. You people’s cups are
full. We have warned you now.”
The pensioners are
being owed nine months arrears, while over N1.8 billion is needed for the
monthly pensions and the Federal Government gives out only N900 million
monthly. There are about 93,000 pensioners in the pension pay list.
