Army Detains Two Soldiers Over Alleged Celebrity Wedding Deployment

(Nigerian Army. Photo Credit: PM News)

The Nigerian Army has detained two serving troops for allegedly participating in an unauthorised deployment at the lavish wedding ceremony of Nigerian content producer Habeeb Hamzat, also known as Peller, and fellow TikTok personality Jarvis, SaharaReporters has learned.

On Tuesday evening, military sources told SaharaReporters that the arrests were made in response to intelligence indicating that the troops had participated in an unlawful deployment at a celebrity wedding in Lekki, Lagos State, over the weekend.

According to a top military source, the soldiers were captured on Tuesday morning, as inquiries into the incident began.

The arrested staff were identified as 23NA/85/10007 Private Onasanya Ifeoluwa of the 81 Division Medical Services and Hospital (81DMSH) and 23NA/85/7885 Private Ukpai Onyinyechi, also of the 81DMSH in Obalende, Lagos.

“Following credible intelligence on the involvement of Nigerian Army personnel in illegal deployment during popular social influencer’s wedding known as Peller at Lekki, Lagos, the Group arrested 23NA/85/10007 PTE Onasanya Ifeoluwa of 81 Division Medical Services and Hospital (81DMSH) and 23NA/85/7885 PTE Ukpai Onyinyechi of 81DMSH at Obalende this morning.

“A preliminary inquiry is underway to determine the scope of their involvement and identify other staff associated with the incident. “Additional information will be provided as the investigation progresses,” the person stated.

The arrests came after videos of the high-profile wedding went viral on social media, showing uniformed military soldiers providing protection for some of the famous attendees.

One of the films, which received a lot of attention, supposedly showed a Nigerian soldier posing as a bouncer for a content creator Ivanna and leading her through the busy gathering.

The video sparked significant outrage online, with many Nigerians wondering why military men were purportedly deployed to a private party event featuring influencers and celebrities.

The wedding of Peller and Jarvis, which took place over the weekend in Lekki, attracted a number of well-known celebrities, social media influencers, and content creators. Videos of the ceremony, which drew massive throngs of fans and guests, dominated social media.

The event quickly became one of the most talked-about celebrity events of the weekend, but controversy erupted when videos emerged of men in military uniforms controlling entry to some areas of the stadium and escorting some participants.

The Nigerian Army has frequently stated that serving members are barred from performing unauthorised private security services or participating in irregular deployments without official authority.