The Defence HQ has given senior Military Officers in Nigeria Monday July 3, 2023 as deadline to tender their resignation. The senior Officers with seniority commission above Nigerian Defence Academy Regular Course 39 to proceed on voluntary retirement. According to Oluyemi Ogunseyin on TheGuardian, the notice of resignation was issued in an official statement from the Defence Headquarters signed by Maj.-Gen. Y. Yahaya for the chief of Defence Staff (CDS).

According to Military tradition, senior officers are unlikely to take orders from juniors, thus the new appointments necessitates the compulsory retirement of about 100 top officers, including Generals, Brigadiers-General, Air Vice Marshals, and Admirals in the Nigerian Army, Navy and Air Force from the force. The affected Officers are expected to put in their resignation because the new Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Christopher Musa is a member of the 38 regular course. The Chief of Army Staff, Major General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of naval Staff, Rear Admiral Emmanuel Ogalla and Chief of Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Hassan Abubakar are all members of the NDA regular course 39.

It was reported that the immediate past Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor has bowed out at a ceremony which took place at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Asokoro, Abuja on Friday, 23 2023. The Retired General was appointed CDS in January 2021.

The Punch newspaper reporter, Solomon Odeniyi reported that General Lucky Irabor said he was leaving the Military more capable of tackling adversaries than he met it. He admitted that the task wasn’t easy due to the large and diverse nature of the country but it is not an impossible one. He said that the military under him had significantly curbed the threat of terrorism and piracy among others. He urged the nation to be proud of its Military to whom too many security concerns seem to now be consigned the military should not be denigrated as the Military stands as a beacon of hope, strength, and resilience in an increasingly complex world.