Dismissed Soldier 'Soja Boi' Challenges Nigerian Army to Release Payroll, Displays Bank Alerts as Evidence
A dismissed Nigerian soldier, Rotimi Olamilekan, popularly known as Soja Boi, has dared the Nigerian Army to make its payroll public after sharing screenshots of bank transaction alerts which he claims prove that soldiers receive modest salaries and are often required to purchase their own protective gear.
Olamilekan, a former lance corporal with service number 18NA/77/1009, made the claims in a video posted on Tuesday, just hours after the Army dismissed his earlier allegations as false and misleading.
In the video, the ex-soldier insisted he was not out to tarnish the image of the Nigerian Army. “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 transaction alerts as proof of payments received during his service:
A credit of N112,061.59 on February 2, 2026, with narration referencing “NIC-ARMY AC,” which he identified as his salary.
A N20,000 credit on February 4, 2026, described as a “grumbling allowance.”
A N45,000 credit on November 4, 2025, which he said was an operational allowance paid only to soldiers deployed to active theatres such as Maiduguri.
Olamilekan added that a security allowance of N6,000 also exists, but stressed that the operational allowance is not automatic. “If you are not in operation, they don’t pay you that one. If you go on operation, they will pay you,” he explained.
He noted that soldiers on routine barracks duty receive mainly their salary and the N20,000 allowance, while the value of the N20,000 may have been reviewed recently, though he could not confirm the exact current figure.
The former lance corporal stood by his earlier claim that soldiers must buy their own helmets, fragmentation jackets, and other protective equipment. “Helmet, you go buy. Fragmentation jacket, you go buy them,” he said in Pidgin English.
He appealed to Nigerians with family members in the military to verify his assertions independently: “Call your brother, call your sister, and ask them if I am lying.”
Olamilekan directly challenged the Army: “If they say I am lying, they should bring out their payroll. How much are they paying soldiers?”
Newsmen could not independently verify the authenticity of the transaction alerts shown in the video. While one alert references “NIC-ARMY AC,” the others do not explicitly link the payments to the Nigerian Army or any government agency, and they appear as standard bank alerts without official military letterhead or payroll documentation.
On Tuesday, the Nigerian Army, through its Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Appolonia Anaele, rejected Olamilekan’s claims as baseless. The Army insisted that uniforms, kits, arms, and protective gear are provided to all personnel through established logistics channels, and that no soldier is deployed to an operational theatre without adequate protection.
It acknowledged that some personnel might voluntarily supplement issued kits but maintained that this is not compulsory. On remuneration, the Army stated that personnel receive consolidated monthly salaries plus uniform allowances, operational allowances, and other mission-specific entitlements paid directly into their accounts.
The Army had earlier described Olamilekan’s allegations as false and misleading.
Olamilekan first gained national attention in February 2026 after a viral video in which he urged governors, senators, and ministers to send their children to serve in the Army, particularly at the lower ranks. He was subsequently arrested, spent his birthday in detention, and was later dismissed from service in March 2026.
The Army maintained that his dismissal was due to persistent acts of indiscipline, including violations of the Armed Forces Social Media Policy and unauthorised media appearances, and had nothing to do with the content of his videos.
More photos below.
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