Soldiers deployed for the recently concluded Anambra State governorship election have complained that they have not been paid their full election operational allowances by the Nigerian military authorities.
The soldiers, who spoke anonymously, told SaharaReporters that they were given N24,000 as feeding allowance for the period of November 3 to 9, 2025, but were later informed that N15,000 of that amount was considered their operation allowance for six days, leaving them with only N9,000 for feeding.
They explained that in previous elections, they usually received between N50,000 and N60,000 as operation allowance, but this time they were told that N15,000 covered their operation allowance for seven days.
“Soldiers that came to Anambra State governorship election from different divisions, units, and formations have not been paid their election operation allowance. Most of us came for the election on the 3rd of November 2025, and upon arrival at the Onitsha barracks, the authorities collected our account numbers, saying the allowance would be paid directly into our accounts,” one of the soldiers said.
“On the 7th of November 2025, which was the eve of the election, they gave us N24,000, stating that it was our feeding allowance from November 3 to November 9, 2025. Now, on the 10th of November, the Army authorities told us that N15,000 out of the N24,000 is our operation allowance. According to them, it covers November 4 to 9, 2025, which means N2,500 per day for six days, while the remaining N9,000 is our feeding allowance for November 7 to 9, meaning N3,000 per day. That is not how it is supposed to be,” the soldiers said.
They added that in previous elections, they were always paid between N50,000 and N60,000 after the exercise. “Now they are telling us that N15,000 is our operation allowance for seven days of operation, while the police are collecting N52,000,” one of them said.
The soldiers claimed they heard that Governor Chukwuma Soludo had earlier requested their account numbers so the state government could pay their allowances directly. However, they alleged that army authorities refused to release the account details “because they want to cheat us.”
“We are calling on the state governor, Prof. Soludo, that after the billions of naira budgeted for the army to pay the troops, only N15,000 was paid to us,” one soldier said.
The soldiers appealed to the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) to intervene and ensure they receive their full allowances.
“We are calling on the Chief of Army Staff to look into this matter and make sure we are paid our money directly into our bank accounts,” another soldier said.
They also alleged that some army authorities are corrupt and are trying to deny the soldiers their rightful earnings.
