Military denies involvement in controversial guards parade for Seyi Tinubu
On Sunday, the Nigerian military officially distanced itself from a recent guards parade that featured Seyi Tinubu, the son of President Bola Tinubu.
The event, which was captured in a viral video, showed Seyi being honored in a military-style ceremony and inspecting personnel dressed in uniforms.
Brig. Gen. Tukur Gusau, the Director of Defence Information, stated in an interview with The PUNCH that the personnel in the video are not affiliated with the military.
“They are not our personnel. We don’t dress that way. We don’t have this type of badge of rank. We don’t know them,” he asserted after reviewing a screenshot from the footage.
The incident has drawn sharp criticism, particularly from former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who called for an investigation into the parade. In a statement released by his media office, Atiku labeled the event an “anomaly” and a “serious breach of military tradition.”
He expressed deep concern over the video, which depicted armed individuals in a military procession conferring unwarranted honors upon Seyi Tinubu.
Atiku raised questions about the legitimacy of the group involved, which identified itself as the “Nigeria Cadet Network.”
He emphasized that this group does not appear to be recognized by the Nigerian Armed Forces and accused it of exploiting military traditions for political purposes.
“In an effort to uncover the truth behind this shameless procession, we instructed our legal team and military experts to investigate the so-called ‘Nigeria Cadet Network.’ It was revealed that the group is not a legally registered entity,” Atiku noted.
He also expressed alarm over the apparent use of firearms by civilians during the parade, particularly in a context where illegal arms proliferation is a pressing issue in Nigeria.
Atiku urged security agencies to investigate the origins and legality of the firearms displayed by the group. He questioned the validity of the military honors bestowed upon Seyi Tinubu by non-commissioned civilians and criticized the unregistered group for misusing the title “Cadet.”
He further stressed the importance of preserving the integrity of the Nigerian Armed Forces and insisted that any legal violations committed by the President’s son or members of the “Nigeria Cadet Network” must be addressed.
“It is the constitutional duty of Nigerian security agencies to ensure that the law takes its course and those responsible are held accountable,” he stated.
The controversial video has ignited public outrage, with many citizens questioning the appropriateness of granting military-like honors to a private citizen with no official public position.
