Thursday, January 22, 2026 - Some officers of the Nigerian Army attached to the Nigerian Army Training Centre (NATRAC), Kontagora, Niger State, have raised an alarm about their welfare.
They accused their commanding officer of subjecting them to
inhumane living conditions, starvation and the persistent withholding of their
₦5,000 instructors’ allowance.
The affected soldiers, who spoke to journalists under the
condition of anonymity for fear of victimization, said they have been deployed
to the training centre since February 17, 2025, to train newly recruited
soldiers earmarked for deployment to Nigeria’s insurgency-ravaged North-East.
According to the instructors, who are nine in number, they
are currently responsible for preparing hundreds of recruits for frontline
combat against Boko Haram insurgents.
However, they alleged that despite the critical nature of
their assignment, they are being treated unfairly by their superiors.
“We are Nigerian Army personnel attached to Kontagora. Our
duty is to train new soldiers at NATRAC.
preparing others for the war front, are being deprived of
our basic rights.” These are soldiers that will be sent to the North-East to
face Boko Haram,” one of the trainers told SaharaReporters.
“It is very painful that we, who are like teachers
The soldiers alleged that there is no proper provision for
their accommodation or feeding, despite their prolonged posting to the training
centre.
They claimed they sleep in extremely poor conditions without
mattresses or adequate bedding.
“There is no accommodation for us. Where we are managing to
sleep, there is no mattress. We sleep on bare bunks,” another soldier
said.
The trainers further alleged that food is only provided when
trainees are in camp, adding that even then, the meals are of poor quality.
“Our commander only provides food when trainees are in camp.
And the food they give us is very bad. I am sure even a pig will think twice
before eating it, but we have no option,” one of them lamented.
Beyond poor living conditions, the soldiers accused the
commander of routinely withholding their ₦5,000 instructors’ allowance, which
they said is meant to be paid weekly.
According to them, the allowance is only paid when trainees
are present in the camp and is often delayed for weeks or even months.
“The only allowance we receive is ₦5,000, tagged as
instructors’ allowance. It is meant to be paid weekly, but our commander always
withholds it,” a source said.
“Sometimes it will take up to a month before you receive
even one payment. The money is small, but not paying it when due makes it even
worse.”
Another trainer added, “It is only when students are
around that they give us ₦5,000 weekly. Once there are no trainees, we get
nothing.”
The soldiers stressed that they were not demanding luxury,
but basic welfare and prompt payment of allowances, especially given the
sensitive and demanding nature of their assignment.
They noted that their role in preparing soldiers for
counter-insurgency operations makes their welfare crucial to national security.
0 Comments