The Nigerian Army on Thursday said it is not true that there will be mass retirement of Generals following the appointment of Major General Farouk Yahaya as the new Chief of Army Staff (COAS).
Major General Yahya was appointed (COAS) on May 27 by President Muhammadu Buhari, following the death of Lt-General Ibrahim Attahiru in a plane crash along with 10 other officers.
There were media reports that about 30 Major Generals who were the new COAS’ seniors would be retired.
According to military tradition, the new COAS, who is of Course 37, is junior to these officers and cannot superintend over them.
However, Brigadier General Benard Onyeuko of the Directorate of Defence Media Operations said in a statement on Thursday that reports of mass retirement in the military due to Farouk’s appointment are not true.
“Retirement is only on a voluntary basis for senior officers who desire to do so. At this point, no retirements have been authorized by the Military High Command,” he said.
