Nigerian soldiers attached to the 241 Recce Model Battalion in Nguru, Yobe State, have accused military authorities of withholding their monthly operational allowances despite their continued involvement in counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram terrorists in the North-East.
The aggrieved soldiers, who spoke through a military source, alleged that personnel serving at the battalion are entitled to a monthly operational allowance of N45,000 approved for troops engaged in anti-terror operations, but claimed the funds do not get to them.
According to the source, the 241 Recce Model Battalion, located in the western part of Yobe State, operates under the command of a colonel and remains actively involved in operations against insurgents in the region.
“The 241 Recce Battalion (Model) is located in the western part of Yobe State and soldiers there are entitled to operation allowance of N45,000 monthly,” the source said.
“We hear rumours that the Federal Government is paying the soldiers’ operation allowance, but the soldiers are not receiving that particular N45,000.”
The source further alleged that only soldiers temporarily attached to other units or deployed on special assignments receive the allowance, while personnel permanently serving at the Nguru battalion are excluded despite participating in the same operations.
“They don’t pay soldiers operation allowance except you are on assignment or attached to another unit. Once you come back to 241 Recce Battalion Nguru, your operation allowance will stop, despite the fact that all of us are fighting Boko Haram,” the source added.
The soldiers described the situation as unfair and demoralising, particularly given the risks troops face daily in the ongoing battle against insurgency in the North-East.
Efforts to reach the Army spokesperson, Colonel Onyechi Appolonia Anele, for comments on the allegations were unsuccessful as calls and text messages sent to her were not answered.
The allegations emerged days after a deadly Boko Haram attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area of Yobe State, where at least 17 police officers and several soldiers were killed during a coordinated midnight assault.
Confirming the incident, the Nigeria Police Force spokesperson, Anthony Okon Placid, said the terrorists attacked the facility around 1:15 a.m. and launched a multi-directional assault that triggered hours of intense gunfire between security forces and insurgents.
“The officers paid the supreme price in service to the nation following a terrorist attack on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School, Buni Yadi,” Placid said.
He explained that the slain officers were participating in specialised training programmes when the terrorists struck.
Placid also confirmed that several soldiers died while attempting to repel the attackers, although the military did not officially disclose the number of casualties suffered by troops.
However, local sources in Buni Yadi said the battle lasted for more than three hours and left over 20 soldiers dead alongside the 17 police officers.
“The terrorists withdrew around 4:00 am, leaving 17 police officers dead and over 20 soldiers dead,” a member of the civilian Joint Task Force said.
According to the source, soldiers evacuated their casualties shortly after the attack, while the bodies of the slain police officers remained at the scene until the following day.
“The police later recovered the corpses and took them to the mortuary at the University Teaching Hospital, Damaturu, from where police vehicles arrived and conveyed them to Maiduguri,” the source said.
Residents described the incident as one of the fiercest attacks witnessed in the area since the Boko Haram insurgency began in the North-East.
“The intense firefight we witnessed that night was different. We have never seen anything like it since the Boko Haram insurgency started,” the civilian JTF member added.
Residents also stated that the terrorists eventually retreated after failing to overrun the facility, seize weapons or destroy military hardware.
Buni Yadi has remained a strategic location in Nigeria’s counter-insurgency campaign, with insurgents repeatedly targeting military formations and training facilities in the area over the years.
Reacting to the killings, the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Disu, described the slain officers as courageous personnel who displayed patriotism and dedication in the fight against terrorism.
He assured Nigerians that the police, alongside the military and other security agencies, would continue operations aimed at bringing those responsible to justice.
Meanwhile, the Yobe State Commissioner of Police, Usman Jibrin, visited the Nigerian Army Special Forces School on behalf of the Inspector-General, where he met with the Commandant, Brigadier General A.C. Enuagu, military officers and surviving police trainees.
During the visit, Jibrin encouraged the surviving officers to remain resolute and complete their training in honour of their fallen colleagues.
Residents of Buni Yadi also expressed grief over the killings, with one resident revealing that attempts by community members to retrieve the bodies of some slain officers for burial rites were unsuccessful.
