The Nigerian Armed Forces have established stringent guidelines that prohibit military personnel from participating in activities deemed unethical or unbecoming of their position.
The regulations prohibit military personnel from engaging in certain activities, including homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, and cross-dressing, as well as other behaviour deemed inconsistent with the armed forces’ ethics.
Additionally, personnel are barred from body piercing, tattooing, disorderly conduct and drunkenness, whether on or off duty.
These rules aim to maintain discipline and adherence to the armed forces’ code of conduct.
The directive is outlined in Section 26 of the revised Harmonised Armed Forces Terms and Conditions of Service (HAFCTCS), which was officially signed into effect by President Bola Tinubu in December 2024.
“An officer must not engage in homosexuality, lesbianism, and bestiality. He/she is not to belong to, or engage in activities of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender or Trans, Queer or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual or Agender, Two-Spirit (LGBTQIA2S+) group and cross-dressing, amongst others,” the document partly reads.
The regulations also prohibit military personnel from engaging in “body piercing and tattooing of any part of his body”.
“An officer shall not engage in any form of disorderly behaviour, brawl, or any action of public disgrace. An officer must not at any time be drunk whether on or off duty,” the regulations say.
The condition of service also forbids the involvement of officers in amorous relationships with subordinates or their spouses.
The revised Harmonised Armed Forces Terms and Conditions of Service emphasises the need for military personnel to maintain professional boundaries, noting: “An officer shall not engage in any amorous relationship with any soldier/rating/airman/airwoman, fellow officer’s or soldier’s/rating’s/airmen’s/air women’s spouse.”
The revised terms and conditions outline additional key regulations, including the requirement for personnel to meet their financial obligations, such as timely payment of vehicle licensing and insurance fees. Non-compliance is considered a serious offense, along with the issuance of dishonoured checks.
Furthermore, the revised terms prohibit military officers from affiliating with secret societies or participating in political parties.
“An officer shall pay all just financial obligations in a proper and timely manner, especially those imposed by law and mutual contract. It is a very serious offence for an officer to be apprehended for failure to license or insure his vehicle, and other legal financial obligations. In the same vein, the issuance of a dud cheque constitutes an offence.
“An officer shall not hold membership of any secret society or political party. He shall not participate, in any way, in activities concerned with such societies or parties even in observatory capacities.
“For the avoidance of doubt, since cultural or purely traditional religious societies are not normally secret by membership or in the conduct of their affairs, they are ipso-facto excluded from belonging to secret societies,” the regulations state.
Meanwhile, a military source described the signing of the reviewed HAFCTCS by Tinubu as strategic, coming a few days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as the United States President.
“It is interesting that Tinubu approved a ban on homosexuality in the military a few days before the expiration of Joe Biden’s White House and Trump’s inauguration,” the source told The Bureau Newspaper.
Trump, known for his conservative stance on LGBTQ+ issues and other matters, is set to be sworn into office on January 20.
“Tinubu knew what he was doing; Trump will not impose sanctions on Nigeria for banning gays in the military. Of course, you know the Trump regime was very harsh towards (then President) Muhammadu Buhari to the point that Buhari openly celebrated his defeat,” the source said.