A dismissed Nigerian soldier has alleged that army personnel are forced to purchase their own uniforms, boots and protective equipment — including bulletproof vests and helmets — out of pocket, despite earning salaries he described as barely sufficient for survival.
Rotimi Olamilekan, a former lance corporal who gained wide attention online under the alias Soja Boi, made the claims in an interview on the Honest Brunch Podcast alongside human rights activist Omoyele Sowore. The interview is yet to be released.
Olamilekan, who served with the 81 Division Task Force Battalion in Borno State, said his salary stood at about N109,000 to N111,000 before his dismissal in March — up from roughly N51,000 prior to an increment in February last year. He said allowances previously brought his total earnings to around N70,000, calling survival on that income extremely difficult.
“The suffer, suffer no be small. Apart from the salary, nothing more. Nothing dey enter for you as a soldier,” he said.
He alleged that uniforms, which cost around N55,000, and boots priced at up to N60,000 per pair, were not provided by the army and had to be personally procured by soldiers.
On protective gear, Olamilekan was categorical. “I swear, nobody will give you,” he said, when asked whether bulletproof vests and helmets were supplied. He claimed such equipment was only made available during visits by high-ranking officials or government dignitaries, and that soldiers deployed to high-risk environments such as the Sambisa Forest frequently operated without adequate protection.
“Nobody will give you now if you no buy am. If anything happen, now una go first meet without bulletproof,” he said.
Olamilekan also alleged he spent nearly five years deployed in Maiduguri, far exceeding the standard two-year rotation cycle. “Me, I don do double, I don do the third,” he said.
The former soldier first went viral in February after releasing a video challenging state governors, senators and ministers to enlist their children in the army as ordinary ranks — not as officers — so they could witness conditions on the front lines firsthand.
“Every day, this killing is too much,” he said in the video.
According to his management, he was arrested approximately eight weeks after the video surfaced and spent his birthday in detention before being released, triggering the #FreeSojaBoi campaign on social media. In a post on Instagram in March, Olamilekan confirmed his release and thanked supporters, adding that his dismissal was directly linked to the video.
“I was arrested and dismissed as a Nigerian soldier because of a video I made last year, where I called on politicians’ children to join the military,” he said.
Before his dismissal, Olamilekan had built a significant online following, creating comedic and lifestyle content often filmed in military attire. He also runs a clothing brand, Giran Wears.
The spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Lieutenant Colonel Appolonia Anaele, neither confirmed nor denied the allegations when contacted, saying only: “I’ll get back to you with a formal statement. You have to wait.”
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