Nigeria's security forces are stretched across multiple crises, including a long-running jihadist insurgency. Soldiers on the frontlines say they're fighting with little equipment, low pay and poor living conditions.

Abuja

Nigerian soldiers stationed in the northeast have reported facing poor living conditions, inadequate weaponry, and insufficient support while combating insurgency and criminal violence. Footage and testimonies provided to DW News reveal issues such as leaky shelters, limited ammunition, and salaries below the minimum wage, contributing to low morale and operational difficulties.

Despite official statements that these are isolated incidents and promises from military leadership to improve troop welfare, soldiers maintain that the problems are widespread and unresolved. The country continues to grapple with a 16-year insurgency, criminal gangs, and intercommunal violence, with Nigeria ranking sixth on the global terrorism index and hundreds of soldiers killed in recent attacks.

Nigeria's security forces under-resourced amid crisis

This footage was sent to DW News by a Nigerian soldier showing the living condition of his unit on the front lines. He has been fighting in the country's northeast for four years, the epicenter of Nigeria's insecurity. We won't mention his real name and location. His real voice will also not be used to protect him from getting punished like others, he says, shared similar clips online in the past. We will call him Soldier X. This is the place where soldiers are living. We face challenges during rainy season because of the leaky roof. We put tarpaulin up here but it doesn't help much, so when rain falls, water pours in. Soldier X says those serving on the front lines face many challenges besides poor living conditions and he sent this additional text saying, we don't have enough arms and ammunition. Each soldier has two magazines and 30 rounds are loaded into each one. If the 60 rounds finish, that means they have endangered our lives. That is why you hear stories about soldiers running away from criminals or getting killed because we don't have enough weapons to fight them. Nigeria has less than 300,000 active personnel in the military, serving a country of over 200 million. For years, Nigerian soldiers deployed to the Northeast have posted videos like this online, complaining about food, inadequate weapons and meagre support, making their work all the more difficult and dangerous. Our soldiers, our military, they need to be motivated. We have soldiers out there that their salaries in a month is still not up to the minimum wage. Nigeria has been fighting a 16-year insurgency with Boko Haram and its offshoot, Islamic State West Africa province, Iswap. Different criminal gangs are also operating across the country, with thousands killed and millions displaced. Clashes among Christian farmers and Muslim herdsmen have also worsened its security situation. Nigeria is now number six in the latest global terrorism index as the country experiences a resurgence of violence by jihadist Boko Haram and other armed groups. Apart from civilian casualties, hundreds of soldiers have been killed in attacks on army bases and ambushes by militants who are believed to own more sophisticated weapons than the military. The outcome of an investigation called by the then army chief, Lieutenant General Olufemi Oluyede into a social media video showing soldiers complaining about poor food has not been published. The army considers public complaints by soldiers as a breach of military ethics and discipline. But Nigeria's Minister of Information assures us that everything is fine. These are just isolated instances. You find, as always, disgruntled elements of the armed forces putting out such kind of video. But on the whole, I think this is not the direction. I think many of them are happy with what government is providing for them. But Soldier X says the military leadership is not honest about soldiers' welfare. It's a lie. I repeat, it's a lie. They are not doing anything for us. Nothing. They are lying to the president that soldiers are living well. But it's not true. We are suffering. The new army chief, appointed by President Bola Tinubu, has assured that the welfare of the troops remains top priority. But it won't be the first time such a promise was made.

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