A Nigerian soldier fighting Boko Haram in Borno has been reportedly arrested for lamenting in a now viral video that he couldn’t make a trip to see his family because the transportation cost was far beyond his monthly salary.
The soldier, who in the video said his monthly salary is N50,000, cancelled his planned trip to see his family after learning at the motor park that the cost of going alone was N35,000. This meant he would require N70,000 as net transportation to make the trip, aside other expenses. The soldier, therefore, canceled the trip and returned to the trenches to continue the fight against Boko Haram.
Soldiers salary is mere N50k that's merely $40. He can't even afford transportation to go see his family. Shame!
pic.twitter.com/FgTmQnDddH— Bigwig Austin (@aai_austin) January 31, 2024
The video of the soldier went viral on social media. This led to his arrest, according to Sahara Reporters.
The Army hasn’t commented on the video nor about the arrest of the soldier. But concerns over the welfare of Nigerian soldiers have been ongoing, with reports on issues ranging from poor feeding and salaries to inadequate medical care and equipment.
Security experts have raised concerns that the poor welfare of troops and those of police personnel may have a connection with the growing insecurity in the country. The concern is that they could easily be compromised or be tempted to go into crime.
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