The Nigerian Army says it has arrested two soldiers who worked as bouncers during the wedding of social media personalities Habeeb Hamzat, popularly known as Peller, and Jarvis in Lekki over the weekend.
Both soldiers Privates Onasanya Ifeoluwa and Ukpai Onyinyechi, were identified as personnel of the Nigerian Army’s Medical Services and Hospital at Obalende, Lagos.
Spokesman for the 81 Division, Lt.-Col Musa Yahaya, confirmed that the soldiers were arrested on Tuesday and are in custody.
They were said to have been involved in an unauthorised deployment after footage of the wedding, which went viral across social media platforms, showed the soldiers in military uniform providing security and escorting guests.
One video allegedly showed a soldier escorting TikTok personality Ivanna through the crowded venue.
The videos sparked public debate, with many Nigerians questioning whether serving military personnel were authorised to perform security duties at a private celebrity event.
The videos particularly raised concerns because they flouted earlier directives by President Bola Tinubu, which withdrew police and military escorts from persons not entitled to them by law to beef up security across the country.
The Nigerian Army has consistently maintained that its personnel are prohibited from undertaking unauthorised private security duties or participating in deployments without official approval.
According to sources, preliminary investigations are underway to determine the extent of their involvement and identify any other personnel connected with the incident.
The wedding of Peller and Jarvis attracted entertainers, influencers and other guests, with videos from the ceremony dominating social media over the weekend.
(Ripples)