Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has dismissed the country's chief of the defence staff together with the heads of the army and navy. | Nigerian President Umaru Yar'Adua has dismissed the country's chief of the defence staff, together with the heads of the army and navy. |
| Mr Yar'Adua made the announcement before going on a pilgrimage to Mecca. | Mr Yar'Adua made the announcement before going on a pilgrimage to Mecca. |
No reason has yet been given for the surprise dismissals, but an official statement said the men were retiring, a BBC correspondent in Abuja said. | No reason has yet been given for the surprise dismissals, but correspondents say it is not unusual for a new president to change military chiefs. |
The move appears to be the first major change to Nigeria's military since Mr Yar'Adua came to office. | Nigeria has been plagued by military coups since independence but has had civilian rule since 1999. |
| Last year, Mr Yar'Adua became the first Nigerian civilian leader to succeed another. |
| This is the first time he has replaced his military heads since taking power in May 2007. |
| Oil unrest |
| The announcement was made at a press conference at the presidential villa in the capital, Abuja. | The announcement was made at a press conference at the presidential villa in the capital, Abuja. |
| Presidential spokesman Segun Adeniyi said the men were taking compulsory retirement. | Presidential spokesman Segun Adeniyi said the men were taking compulsory retirement. |
| The head of the air force, Air Marshal Paul Dike, has been promoted to become overall defence chief, the country's top military position. | The head of the air force, Air Marshal Paul Dike, has been promoted to become overall defence chief, the country's top military position. |
The BBC's Chris Ewokor in Abuja said that such dismissals usually only take place where there has been evidence of a threat to the government and it could be that the men had fallen out of favour with Mr Yar'Adua. | The sacked three were seen as being loyalists of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. |
The governing People's Democratic Party (PDP) had earlier held a press conference to criticise a group of political opponents who had been calling for the removal of the present government. | Despite coming from the same People's Democratic Party (PDP) as Mr Obasanjo, since Mr Yar'Adua took over, there has been a series of allegations of corruption against senior members of the former administration. |
Our correspondent said the sackings were a bold move in a country that has had more military governments than civilian ones in almost 50 years of independence. | Before the sackings were announced, the PDP held a press conference to criticise a group of political opponents who had been calling for the removal of the present government. |
Earlier this month, Mr Yar'Adua suspended the head of the government agency responsible for the development of the oil-producing Niger Delta over allegations of corruption. | The BBC's Sola Odunfa in the commercial capital, Lagos, says making the changes at this time will not upset the apple-cart. |
| He says most Nigerians now accept that the military should not intervene in politics. |
| But he says there has been speculation that the government is not happy with the way the military has handled the unrest in the oil-producing Niger Delta region. |
| Attacks by militants have cut Nigeria's oil output by about 20% - a problem Mr Yar'Adua promised to address when he took power. |
| Local analysts accuse some military officials of being involved in the large-scale theft of oil, which Mr Yar'Adua says is behind the unrest. |
| Earlier this month, Mr Yar'Adua suspended the head of the government agency responsible for the development of the oil-producing Niger Delta over allegations of corruption.
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