Board Denies Alleged Diversion of N2.5b Military Pensions Cash

The Military Pensions Board has dismissed reports of missing N2.5 billion as mischievous and unfounded.

The Board insisted that no money was transferred from its account at the Central Bank to any person within or outside the country.

An online publication had alleged that N2.5 billion was looted and shared among top military Chiefs.

But the Board, in a statement by the Public Relations Officer, Flight Lieutenant Olayinka Lawal, urged military pensioners to disregard the “spurious allegation”.

It partly reads: “The attention of the Military Pensions Board has been drawn to an outrageous and spurious publication in the social media purporting that an imaginary whooping sum of N2.5billion of MPB funds were shared or looted by some persons.

“The Military Pensions Board (MPB) wishes to inform our esteemed pensioners and all Nigerians to disregard, in totality, the deliberate falsehood being peddled by these online and social media news outlets that such amount of money was misappropriated by the MPB in conjunction with some “top Military Chiefs.

” For the avoidance of doubt, it is important to state clearly that no fund is missing and no amount of money was illegally transferred from MPB account at the CBN to anyone within or outside Nigeria, apart from qualified military retirees or their NOKs. Our operations are transparent and the records are up to date.

“The MPB has no link with the names published in the false publication. There are no records of the names listed in the publication at the Military Pensions Board.

“Although, MPB would have simply ignored the blatant lie peddled by these agents, but has chosen to set the records straight and defend itself in the court of public opinion. Nigerians are please urged to enquire from qualified military pensioners across the country on the promptness of the payment of their entitlements. As at today, MPB does not owe any pensioner monthly pensions and will continue to work assiduously to ensure that the standards are maintained.

“Finally, our esteemed retirees are assured of our devotion to sustain the prompt payment of all entitlements of military retirees or their Next Of Kins (NOKs) in a transparent and accountable manner and to uphold principles of fairness and service to humanity in the discharge of the Board’s mandate”.