The Nigerian Army has taken action against two of its own personnel following allegations that soldiers were deployed without authorization to provide security at the widely publicized wedding of content creators Habeeb Hamzat, known as Peller, and TikTok personality Jarvis in Lekki, Lagos.
According to sources who spoke with Vanguard, the arrests followed credible intelligence suggesting military personnel had taken part in an unsanctioned deployment at the celebrity event, which drew heavy attendance and generated significant online buzz over the weekend. The soldiers identified were Private Onasanya Ifeoluwa and Private Ukpai Onyinyechi, both attached to the 81 Division Medical Services and Hospital in Obalende, Lagos. They were apprehended Tuesday morning, with investigations now underway to determine the full extent of their involvement and whether additional personnel were connected to the incident.
A military source described the situation directly: “Following credible intelligence on the involvement of Nigerian Army personnel in illegal deployment during the popular social influencer’s wedding in Lekki, Lagos, the personnel were arrested. Preliminary investigation is ongoing to establish the extent of their involvement and identify other personnel connected with the incident. Further details will be forwarded as the investigation unfolds.”
The situation came to light after videos from the wedding began circulating online, showing uniformed military personnel providing security and managing crowd control around certain guests. One particularly widely shared clip appeared to show a soldier escorting a social media personality through the packed venue, a moment that quickly drew public scrutiny and raised questions about why military personnel were present at a private event in an official-looking capacity at all.
The wedding itself had already attracted considerable attention on its own merits, pulling in entertainers, influencers, and content creators from across the country and generating substantial social media coverage well before the military angle emerged.
The Army has been firm in reiterating its position that serving personnel are not permitted to take on private security assignments or participate in deployments outside officially sanctioned duties without prior approval. The ongoing investigation is expected to determine whether the soldiers’ involvement at the wedding constituted a breach of military regulations, with disciplinary action to follow if personnel are found to have acted improperly.
