Military arrests two soldiers after they served as bouncers at Peller’s wedding

Nigerian army officials have arrested two serving soldiers suspected of engaging in an unauthorized deployment in the wedding of Habeeb Hamzat, better known as Peller, along with his friend Jarvis, who both are social media content creators.

The soldiers, according to sources, were arrested on Tuesday, after receiving information that there was an unauthorized deployment of soldiers in the marriage of celebrities, which took place in Lagos, Nigeria.

According to military sources, investigations are underway to establish the level of their involvement and determine any other serving soldier that might be involved in the incident.

The arrested soldiers include Private Onasanya Ifeoluwa of 81 Division Medical Services and Hospital (81DMSH), Obalende, Lagos, and Private Ukpai Onyinyechi, also of the same unit.

According to a military official, the arrest of the two soldiers happened after receiving credible intelligence about the presence of serving soldiers in a private event without prior approval.

“Following credible intelligence on the involvement of Nigerian Army personnel in illegal deployment during popular social influencer Peller’s wedding in Lekki, Lagos, the group arrested the two soldiers. Preliminary investigation is ongoing to establish the extent of their involvement and identify other personnel connected with the incident. Further details will be provided as the investigation progresses,” the source said.

The arrests followed the circulation of several videos from the wedding on social media showing men in military uniforms providing security and controlling access to parts of the venue.

One of the viral clips allegedly showed a soldier escorting TikTok personality Ivanna through the crowded venue while acting in a security capacity.

The footage sparked widespread criticism online, with many Nigerians questioning why serving military personnel were allegedly providing security at a private social event involving entertainers and social media influencers. 

The wedding of Peller and Jarvis attracted several celebrities, content creators and fans, with videos from the ceremony dominating social media throughout the weekend.

However, the celebration became controversial after the emergence of videos suggesting that uniformed soldiers were deployed to perform private security duties.

The Nigerian Army has consistently maintained that serving personnel are prohibited from engaging in unauthorised private security assignments or illegal deployments without official approval.