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The Nigerian Armed Forces have officially prohibited their personnel from marrying foreigners or naturalised Nigerians.
This restriction is part of the Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service (HTACOS) for Officers 2024, a new guideline that also forbids commissioned officers from marrying non-commissioned members such as soldiers, ratings, or airwomen.
According to the document, the rule aims to maintain discipline, unity, and national security within the military. It directs all Service Chiefs to enforce the new provisions immediately. The regulation states: “This Harmonised Terms and Conditions of Service Officers 2024 has been promulgated to ensure uniform implementation and it supersedes the previous HTACOS Officers 2017… The contents are to be strictly observed on all occasions and interpreted reasonably and intelligently.”
Chapter 25 of the updated document focuses specifically on marriage rules for military officers and personnel. It clearly states that “no officer is allowed to marry a foreigner or a naturalised Nigerian.”
The new policy, which took effect on December 6, 2024, also outlines other conditions. For instance, newly commissioned officers such as Second Lieutenants, Midshipmen, and Pilot Officers are considered to be on probation and must reside in the Officers’ Mess without their spouses. Even if they were married before joining the Academy, their status as “married officers” will not be officially recognised for housing or allowance purposes.
However, the rules provide exceptions for those promoted from the ranks who were married before commissioning. Such officers are allowed to live in the Officers’ Mess for three months before being considered for family accommodation or lodging allowance, depending on availability.
The HTACOS also requires officers to seek official permission before marriage. It states: “Any officer who is not yet married must first seek approval of the appropriate superior authority of his/her intention to marry. The approval shall be granted only after vetting and clearance of the officer’s proposed spouse.”
Where an officer marries a lower-ranking personnel, the rule mandates that one of them must resign from service. “If an officer marries a soldier, rating, airman, or airwoman under any of the existing ordinances, the officer or the enlisted personnel will be given the option to leave the Service. It is an offence to conceal such a marriage,” the document warns.
Explaining the rationale behind the policy, a retired Major General said it was meant to prevent sensitive information from leaking to foreign entities through marital relationships. “The rule is meant for the protection of information and security-related issues. Imagine a Nigerian soldier married to a Cameroonian or Liberian, and Nigeria goes into war with any of those countries — loyalty could be divided,” he explained.
Another retired officer, Group Captain Shehu Sadeeq, supported the intent but suggested that the rule should be reviewed. He said that while many countries have similar policies, most allow marriage to foreigners after proper vetting. “Maybe, looking at what is happening in other parts of the world, I think we can review this law to introduce instruments of vetting before such a marriage is done instead of an outright ban,” he noted.
He added that the restriction was mainly for national security reasons, as foreign spouses could create risks of intelligence leaks or conflicts of loyalty. “A spouse’s foreign citizenship can raise questions about dual allegiance and security access,” he said.
Meanwhile, human rights activist Dr. Zikirullahi Ibrahim criticised the rule, saying it unfairly isolates military officers from other citizens. “When you say members of the Armed Forces should not marry a foreigner, why are they isolated from other government officials? Many politicians and senior officers have families with dual citizenship,” he questioned.
However, another civil rights advocate, Auwal Rafsanjani, defended the policy, arguing that those in sensitive military positions must prioritise national interest over personal relationships. “If you decide to be a security person, then you already know the consequences. Such individuals should not maintain relationships that expose our sensitive information,” he said.
The new regulation remains under review and will be reassessed after five years, according to the Armed Forces Council.
