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The Nigerian Army has arrested two serving soldiers over their alleged involvement in an unauthorised deployment during the lavish wedding ceremony of Nigerian content creator Habeeb Hamzat, known as Peller, and fellow TikTok personality Jarvis, SaharaReporters has learnt.

Military sources revealed on Tuesday evening that the arrests followed intelligence indicating that the soldiers participated in an illegal deployment at the celebrity wedding held in Lekki, Lagos State, over the weekend.

According to a top military source, the soldiers were apprehended on Tuesday morning as investigations commenced into the incident.

The source identified the arrested personnel as 23NA/85/10007 Private Onasanya Ifeoluwa of the 81 Division Medical Services and Hospital (81DMSH) and 23NA/85/7885 Private Ukpai Onyinyechi, also attached to 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.

“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 source said.

The arrests come after videos from the high-profile wedding circulated widely on social media, showing uniformed military personnel providing security around some of the celebrity guests.

One of the videos, which drew significant public attention, allegedly showed a Nigerian soldier acting as a bouncer for TikTok personality Ivanna while escorting her through the crowded venue.

The footage triggered widespread criticism online, with many Nigerians questioning why military personnel were allegedly deployed to a private social event involving influencers and celebrities.

Peller and Jarvis’ wedding, held in Lekki over the weekend, attracted several prominent entertainers, social media influencers and content creators. Videos from the ceremony dominated social media platforms, with large crowds of fans and guests in attendance.

The event became one of the most talked-about celebrity occasions of the weekend, but controversy soon followed after clips surfaced showing men in military uniforms managing access to parts of the venue and escorting some attendees.

The Nigerian Army has repeatedly maintained that serving personnel are prohibited from undertaking unauthorised private security duties or participating in illegal deployments without official approval.

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Former Governor of Edo State and National Legal Adviser of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Senator Oserheimen Osunbor, on Monday led the legal team of the party on a condolence visit to the party’s vice presidential candidate, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

The delegation visited Amaechi to sympathise with him and his family following the death of his mother, who recently passed away.

Senator Osunbor conveyed the condolences of the party’s leadership and members, praying for the peaceful repose of the deceased and for God to grant the bereaved family the strength and fortitude to bear the irreparable loss.

The visit underscored the ADC’s spirit of solidarity and support for one of its foremost leaders during a period of mourning.

Amaechi expressed appreciation to Senator Osunbor and the delegation for taking the time to visit and stand with him and his family in their moment of grief. He thanked them for their prayers and words of encouragement.

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The Archbishop Emeritus of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has stated that the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) has no intention to respond to government spokespersons.

The Cardinal was reacting to the criticism from presidential spokespersons following his submission on the country’s economy and security.

The bishops had met with President Bola Tinubu at the State House, Abuja, on July 28, 2026.

Speaking in an interview with Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu in Ogun State on Monday, Onaiyekan asserted that the Catholic Bishops have already delivered their message to the President and were only interested in whether it would influence governance.

He rejected suggestions that the bishops were speaking only for Catholics, saying their intervention was based on a moral responsibility to all Nigerians.

He said: “We didn’t go there just as Catholic bishops pushing the Catholic agenda. No. We went there as people who are with the spiritual mandate to speak to anybody in the name of God.”

On the Presidency’s reaction, Onaiyekan refused to engage in the controversy, saying, “I would not even answer that question. We have no response for them. We have spoken, and the only response we are waiting for is whether it is affecting the way they are governing.

“That some of the supporters of government and the state and spokesperson may have their own idea about what they think they should be saying on behalf of their principal, is their business, not mine.

“As for response to the things we are hearing, I don’t even have to say anything because the social media is full of response from Nigerian people and that for me is more than enough.’’

The Cardinal explained that the audience with President Tinubu was initiated by the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria after months of waiting for approval.

According to him, the meeting was neither intended as an evangelistic mission nor an attempt to advance the interests of the Catholic Church, but rather an opportunity to present the bishops’ concerns about governance and welfare of Nigerians as part of their pastoral responsibility.

“The Bishops visited President Tinubu last week and we requested for audience. It took some months before we were granted the audience, and we prepared to see him, and the main reason we wanted to see him was not to go on an evangelical mission.

‘’We didn’t go there to preach to him and try to see whether we could convert him to our Catholic Church, but we went there to share our views and thoughts about the government which he heads, hoping that our ideas will be taken into consideration, So that is what took us to the statehouse,” he explained.

Expressing hope that the government would remain open to further engagement on issues affecting Nigerians, the Cardinal said: “We are hoping that our meeting with the President or our dialogue with the government of Nigeria did not end with that visit.”

He added that the bishops were still expecting the government to create another opportunity for a more detailed conversation.

“We are hoping that somehow, he will invite us, not necessarily to meet him, I mean President Tinubu, but at least to open up fairness for us to give more information, more concerns that we have, than we could give in the ten-minute talk that we gave to him,” he said.