A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as Soja Boi, has challenged the Nigerian Army to make its payroll public after presenting bank transaction alerts he claims reflect the earnings of serving personnel and support his allegations about poor welfare.
Olamilekan, a former lance corporal with service number 18NA/77/1009, made the claims in a video posted on Tuesday, April 7, 2026, hours after the Army dismissed his earlier allegations as false and misleading.
He clarified that his intention was not to tarnish the image of the military. “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.
In the video, he displayed three bank transaction alerts which he said were payments received during his service. One alert dated February 2, 2026, showed a credit of N112,061.59 with a narration referencing “NIC-ARMY AC.” Another, dated February 4, 2026, reflected a N20,000 credit, while a third dated November 4, 2025, showed a N45,000 payment.
He identified the N112,061.59 as his monthly salary, the N20,000 as a “grumbling allowance,” and the N45,000 as an operational allowance paid to soldiers deployed to active conflict zones such as Maiduguri. He added that a security allowance of N6,000 also exists.
According to him, the operational allowance is not a fixed entitlement. “If you are not in operation, they don’t pay you that one. If you go on operation, they will pay you,” he said, adding that personnel on barracks duty typically receive only their salary and the N20,000 allowance.
Olamilekan also maintained his earlier claim that soldiers are required to purchase some of their own protective gear, including helmets and fragmentation jackets.
He urged Nigerians with family members in the military to verify his claims and challenged the Army to release official payroll records. “If they say I am lying, they should bring out their payroll. How much are they paying soldiers?” he said.
Truth Live News could not independently verify the authenticity of the receipts. While one of the alerts referenced “NIC-ARMY AC,” the others did not clearly identify the Nigerian Army or any government institution as the source. The documents also lacked official payroll markings or letterheads.
In response, the Nigerian Army, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Appolonia Anaele, described Olamilekan’s allegations as baseless. The Army stated that uniforms, kits, arms and protective gear are provided through established logistics systems and that no personnel is deployed without adequate equipment.
It acknowledged that some soldiers may choose to supplement issued kits but described such actions as voluntary. On remuneration, the Army said personnel receive consolidated monthly salaries alongside uniform allowances, operational allowances and other mission-specific entitlements paid directly into their accounts.
Olamilekan first gained national attention in February 2026 after a viral video in which he called on political leaders to send their children to serve in the Army. He was subsequently arrested, detained, and later dismissed.
The Army said his dismissal was due to repeated acts of indiscipline, including violations of the Armed Forces Social Media Policy and unauthorised media appearances, and not related to the content of his public statements.
