By Henry Umoru

ABUJA- THE Senate has frowned on the delay in the payment of insurance benefits to dead and retired personnel by the military.

It specifically declared that 174 families were facing the brunt of such delays in the Nigerian Airforce, NAF, alone, saying this was unacceptable.

Consequently, it prevented NAF officers, led by Wing Commander Mohammed Saleh, from arresting Master Warrant Rukayat Ishola who petitioned the Senate over non-payment of her husband’s insurance benefits and alleged maltreatment by the airforce authorities since the demise of her husband, Warrant Officer Daramola Taiwo, in April 2016.

Decisions of the Senate followed a motion moved by the chairman of the code of conduct, ethics and public petitions committee, Neda Imasuen, LP, Edo South.

Senate’s displeasure at the delayed payment of benefits to dead military personnel followed the consideration of a petition filed against NAF by Master Warrant Officer Rukayat Ishola.

In the petition, Rukayat Ishola alleged that payment of insurance benefits of her late husband was deliberately delayed and that her child was denied payment of school fees, like children of other dead military officers.

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She said the maltreatment allegedly meted out on her by some officers, after the demise of her husband in April 2016, made her abandon her duty post as a a way of saving her life.

“ I was forced and traumatized to go on without leave ( AWOL) because my late husband‘s insurance benefits were deliberately not paid.

‘’My child was denied school fees, contrary to NAF’s tradition. I faced unwarranted persecutions and life-threatening posting from some officers.’’

The attempt made by her to tender recorded telephone conversations she had with the alleged officers was rebuffed by the committee as it called on a NAF representative to defend the allegations
Defending the allegations on behalf of NAF, the Director of Legal Services, Wing Commander Mohammed Saleh, said the insurance benefits of late Warrant Officer Daramola Taiwo were not deliberately delayed as about 174 families in the Air Force experienced such delays in payment.

He said: “I want to Inform this committee that the petitioner lied in all the allegations laid, as the delay in payment of insurance benefits does not affect her late husband alone but about 174 different families.

“Her child is not entitled to enjoy school fees payment by NAF since the husband of the petitioner did not die in active service, just as allegation made on alleged maltreatment or persecution is unfounded.”

Asked by the committee chairman, Senator Neda Imasuen, to define what he meant by active service, Wing Commander Saleh said those who died in the battlefront or field were categorised as dying in active service, while those who died naturally were not considered as such, prior to amendment of the regulation in 2021.

Irked by his submission, the chairman and committee members descended on the officer, saying it was unacceptable for insurance benefits of dead personnel not to be paid, for close to nine years. Consequently, the committee as declared by the chairman, told the officer that a strong letter would be forwarded to the Chief of Air Staff, Air Marshall Hassan Abubakar, to without further delay, facilitate payment of insurance benefits of the husband of the petitioner, incorporate the child of the deceased as a beneficiary of school fees payment by NAF and open window for honourable exit of the petitioner from NAF with attendant retirement benefits.”