Aggrieved front-line soldiers from the 241 Recce Model Battalion in Yobe State have accused military authorities of withholding their approved ₦45,000 monthly operational allowance despite their active involvement in counter-insurgency operations against Boko Haram.
Aggrieved soldiers attached to the 241 Recce Model Battalion in Nguru, Yobe State, have accused military authorities of deliberately withholding their monthly operational allowances while they continue to face severe risks on the front lines. Speaking anonymously through a military source, the troops alleged that personnel serving at the battalion are legally entitled to a monthly anti-terror allowance of ₦45,000 approved by the Federal Government. However, despite being actively deployed in the volatile North-East theater to combat Boko Haram insurgents, the soldiers claim that the designated funds are completely bypassed and do not reach the rank-and-file personnel permanently stationed at the base.
The internal dispute highlights a controversial administrative structure within the unit, under which permanent battalion members are allegedly being structurally excluded from financial benefits given to external peers. According to the whistleblowing source, the 241 Recce Model Battalion—which operates under the strategic command of a Colonel—selectively processes the payments only for soldiers who are temporarily attached to alternative units or deployed on ad-hoc special assignments. Complaining about the perceived injustice, the source stated: “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. We hear rumours that the Federal Government is paying the soldiers’ operation allowance, but the soldiers are not receiving that particular N45,000.”
The rising internal tension comes at a delicate period for the military formation following a deadly security breach that claimed the lives of multiple security personnel within the state. Just last week, Boko Haram terrorists launched a coordinated midnight assault on the Nigerian Army Special Forces School in Buni Yadi, Gujba Local Government Area, resulting in the killing of several soldiers and at least 17 police officers. Despite the high-stakes combat environment, efforts to obtain an official rebuttal or clarification from the Director of Army Public Relations, Colonel Onyechi Appolonia Anele, proved unsuccessful as she did not answer telephone calls or respond to text messages. Frustrated by the institutional silence, the front-line troops described the selective payment policy as deeply demoralizing, adding: “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.”
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