President Bola Tinubu has approved the express prohibition of military personnel from engaging in homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality, body piercing, and other acts deemed contrary to the ethics of the armed forces.

At the same time, the personnel are also barred from cross-dressing, tattooing, disorderly behaviour, and drunkenness on or off duty.

The directive is spelt out in Section 26 of the revised Harmonised Armed Forces Terms and Conditions of Service signed by the President on December 16, 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.

“An officer must not engage 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,” read a copy of the document.

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In the new condition of service approved by Tinubu, military officers are also prohibited from engaging in amorous relationships with subordinates or their spouses.

“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,“ it stated.

The directive also mandated the military personnel on timely payment of financial dues, including vehicle licenses and insurance, while they are prohibited from joining secret societies or political parties.

Meanwhile, serving personnel are prohibited from running a private business and misusing government property for personal gain.

“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."

The document read further, “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.

“An officer shall not engage in private business. He shall not use or be allowed to use government property, his name, position and connection in any way with commercial enterprises outside employment or activity with or without compensation, which interfere or has the tendency of interfering with his official duty or which may be reasonably expected to bring discredit to the Service.”