The opposition coalition’s presidential candidate Ibrahim Mohamed Solih is being guarded by two former military officers of the Special Protection Group (SPG) that were dismissed by the current administration.

Officers Simad Ahmed and Ahmed Shaneez were dismissed following the turmoil that erupted after the controversial Supreme Court ruling on February 1 that ordered the release of high-profile political prisoners and the reinstatement of opposition MPs.

While President Abdulla Yameen condemned the Supreme Court ruling as an attempted coup and made numerous arrests in relation to it, there has been no official word on why the SPG officers were dismissed after their arrests.

SPG Officer Ahmed Fahthah was also dismissed. The three officers had been bodyguards of former President Mohamed Nasheed during his administration.

After their dismissal, Simad and Shaneez were hired as Solih’s bodyguard by Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), which is led by Nasheed.

MDP and the other parties of the opposition coalition have vowed to provide jobs to anyone who was ‘unlawfully’ fired by President Yameen’s government.