“We were paid…” – Dismissed ex-soldier exposes harsh realities of army service, sparks online reactions
A Nigerian ex-soldier, Lance Corporal Rotimi Olamilekan, has sparked reactions online after opening up about the harsh realities he faced while serving, revealing details about his salary, working conditions, and deployment experiences.
Speaking during an appearance on The Honest Bunch Podcast with human right activist Omoyele Sowore, he shared how his earnings were extremely low despite the risks involved in the job.
“The last salary I collected as an ex-army officer before I was dismissed was ₦109,000. Before that, it was ₦51,000, plus a ₦20,000 SACRS allowance, making ₦71,000. It was just last year they increased it. The suffering was much. Aside from the salary, nothing more,” he said.
He further revealed that soldiers often have to provide their own equipment, including uniforms and boots, which come at high personal costs.
According to him, essential gear like armor and bulletproof vests are not always provided, except during special occasions or high-profile visits for show-off.
“They don’t give us uniforms; we buy them ourselves. Uniform is about ₦55,000, boots cost ₦60,000. Even armour and bulletproof vests, nobody will give you. If you see a soldier wearing it for free, it’s probably because there’s an occasion,” he added.
He also spoke about his long deployment in Maiduguri, revealing that he spent nearly five years in the conflict zone despite initial promises of a shorter rotation period.
Olamilekan’s ordeal began after he recorded and shared a video last year urging ministers, governors, lawmakers, and local government chairmen to send their sons to the battlefield.
He was, however, arrested directly from his duty post in the North-East, where he had been deployed for several years, and was later dismissed from service.
Watch the video below…
Between Soja boy and Sowore;💔💔
“As a soldier, my last Salary was 109k. It was 51k before, they just increased it to 109 last year. Our uniform alone is 55k, boot is 60k and we pay for them with our money…Same with helmet and bull£t proof vest. I spent 4 years,9months in… pic.twitter.com/nnWqBF2ZwJ
— Oyindamola🙄 (@dammiedammie35) April 5, 2026