A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as Soja Boi, has dared the Nigerian Army to release its payroll after displaying bank transaction alerts he said proved that soldiers earn modest wages and are compelled to buy their own protective gear.

Olamilekan, a former lance corporal with service number 18NA/77/1009, made the fresh claims in a video posted on Tuesday, hours after the Army described his earlier allegations as false and misleading.

He was quick to clarify his intentions.

“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 showed three bank transaction alerts he said were evidence of payments he received while in service.

The first, dated February 2, 2026, showed a credit of N112,061.59 with a narration referencing “NIC-ARMY AC.”

The second, dated February 4, 2026, showed a N20,000 credit with a narration reading “RTGS INFLOW FROM CBNi B/ORFL CENTRAL B.”

The third, dated November 4, 2025, showed a N45,000 credit with a narration referencing “SKYSTONE FINANCE COMPANY LTD.”

He identified the N112,061.59 as his salary, the N20,000 as grumbling allowance and the N45,000 as an operational allowance paid only to soldiers deployed to active theatres such as Maiduguri.

He said a security allowance of N6,000 also existed.

He stressed that the operational allowance was not a standing 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.

On the N20,000 allowance, he noted that its value may have changed but said he could not confirm this.

“People say they have increased it. I am not sure,” he said.

He added that soldiers on barracks duty received only a fraction of the total payments.

“If you are doing barracks duty, you are only entitled to your salary and that N20,000,” he said.

Olamilekan also maintained his earlier claim that soldiers purchase their own helmets, fragmentation jackets and other protective equipment.

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

He appealed to Nigerians with relatives in the military to verify his claims independently.

“I know so many people who would want to say these things but don’t know how to. Call your brother, call your sister, and ask them if I am lying,” he said.

He challenged 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.

The receipts could not be independently verified.

While the narration on the first receipt contains a reference to “NIC-ARMY AC,” the narrations on the second and third receipts do not explicitly identify the Nigerian Army or any government institution as the paying body.

The documents are also bank transaction alerts and do not carry any official Army payroll reference or letterhead.

The Army had on Tuesday, in a statement by its Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Appolonia Anaele, dismissed Olamilekan’s claims as baseless.

It insisted that uniforms, kits, arms and protective gear were provided to all personnel through established logistics systems and that no soldier was deployed to an operational theatre without adequate protection.

The Army acknowledged that some personnel might choose to supplement issued kits but described such decisions as voluntary.

On remuneration, the Army said personnel received consolidated monthly salaries in addition to uniform allowances, operational allowances and other mission-specific entitlements paid directly into their accounts.

Olamilekan first drew national attention in February 2026 when a video in which he called on governors, senators and ministers to send their children to serve in the Army went viral.

He was subsequently arrested, spent his birthday in detention and was later dismissed.

The Army said his dismissal followed persistent acts of indiscipline, including violations of the Armed Forces Social Media Policy and unauthorised media appearances, and was unrelated to the content of his videos. (The PUNCH)

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