Dismissed Soldier Challenges Army Over Pay, Presents Bank Alerts

Dismissed Soldier Challenges Army Over Pay, Presents Bank Alerts
Nigerian Army denied allegations, insisted welfare and equipment are provided.
Soldier challenged Army to publish payroll for transparency verification.

A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Rotimi Olamilekan, has challenged the Nigerian Army to make its payroll public, while presenting bank transaction alerts he claimed show that soldiers earn modest wages and often purchase their own protective equipment.

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EKO HOT BLOG reports that Olamilekan, a former lance corporal, made the claims in a video released on Tuesday, hours after the Army dismissed his earlier allegations as false. He said he was not attempting to discredit the military but to share his personal experience.

“I am not trying to spoil the Nigerian Army’s image or make people look at them as if they are not good. But I am just speaking the facts and I will be backing them with evidence,” he said.

He displayed three bank alerts which he identified as payments received during his service. One alert dated February 2, 2026, showed a credit of ₦112,061.59, which he described as his monthly salary. Another dated February 4, 2026, reflected a ₦20,000 payment, which he called a “grumbling allowance.”

A third alert dated November 4, 2025, indicated a ₦45,000 credit, which he said was an operational allowance paid to soldiers deployed to conflict areas such as Maiduguri. He added that a ₦6,000 security allowance is also paid to personnel only when they are on active operations.

“If you are not in operation, they don’t pay you that one. If you go on operation, they will pay you,” he said.

He further stated that soldiers stationed in barracks receive only their salary and the ₦20,000 allowance.

“If you are doing barracks duty, you are only entitled to your salary and that ₦20,000,” he added.

Olamilekan also maintained that soldiers often procure their own protective gear.

“Helmet, you go buy. Fragmentation jacket, you go buy them,” he alleged.

He urged Nigerians with relatives in the military to verify his claims and called on the Army to make its payroll public.

“If they say I am lying, they should bring out their payroll. How much are they paying soldiers?” he said.

Earlier, the Nigerian Army rejected Olamilekan’s claims, describing them as baseless.

In a statement by the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Appolonia Anaele, the military said uniforms, kits, arms and protective gear are issued to personnel through established logistics systems.

The Army maintained that no soldier is deployed to operational areas without adequate protection, although it acknowledged that some personnel may choose to supplement their kits voluntarily.

On remuneration, the military said soldiers receive consolidated monthly salaries alongside uniform allowances, operational allowances and other mission-specific benefits paid directly into their bank accounts.

Olamilekan first drew public attention in February 2026 after a viral video in which he challenged political leaders to send their children to serve in the Army. He was later arrested, reportedly spent his birthday in detention, and was subsequently dismissed.

The Army said his dismissal followed repeated acts of indiscipline, including violations of its social media policy and unauthorised media appearances, insisting the action was unrelated to the content of his claims.