Army Denies Non-Payment of Troop Allowances in North-east

The Nigerian Army has come out to refute claims made in a viral video that soldiers fighting in the North-east have not been paid their allowances. According to a statement released by the spokesperson for Operation Hadin Kai, Lt. Col. Sani Uba, the claims in the video are baseless and misleading. The Army insisted that all legitimate allowances due to its personnel have been paid up to May, including the Ration Cash Allowance, Operational Allowance, and Habit Allowance. Some of these funds were paid directly into the accounts of the personnel. Lt. Col. Uba explained that the payment in question was not an operational allowance but an additional incentive for security duties at a critical national asset in Tuba, Borno State. This incentive was initially funded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation during oil exploration activities in the area but stopped after the exploration operations ended. The Borno State Government has now taken over the responsibility for this incentive and is working to integrate the affected troops into an existing payment structure that already covers police officers and volunteer security personnel. Lt. Col. Uba stated that the funds for this additional incentive were still pending at the time the concerns were raised. However, the General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Brigadier General Solomon Diwa, has assured the troops that discussions with the relevant authorities are ongoing to facilitate the payment as soon as the funds become available. The Army also denied claims that the soldier who raised the issue was threatened or punished, emphasizing that the welfare and fair treatment of personnel remain a top priority. Operation Hadin Kai accused the creator of the viral video of spreading false information aimed at tarnishing the reputation of the Armed Forces. The Army warned that sharing unverified operational information on social media violates military policy and could negatively impact troop morale and national security operations. Measures are being implemented to address breaches of the Armed Forces' social media regulations while continuing efforts to ensure prompt payment of approved entitlements through collaboration with relevant authorities.