February 7, 2026 l Dalena Reporters
In a compelling and emotional recounting published on Sahara Reporters, a former Nigerian Army soldier has alleged that he was unjustly dismissed from service after nearly 20 years on the frontline for simply asking a question following a deadly Boko Haram attack. The soldier, whose identity was shared during a podcast interview hosted by Lucky Udu, claims that his career was abruptly ended in the aftermath of insurgent violence in Baga, Borno State — where he said at least 117 fellow troops were killed in action.
According to the ex-serviceman’s account, the dismissal stemmed not from incompetence or misconduct, but from raising his hand to ask a question during a briefing by a senior commander after the attack. What he anticipated to be routine dialogue instead ended in detention, humiliation, and ultimately, expulsion from the Army. “I am not a wounded soldier. I am a dismissed soldier,” he told listeners, describing how his life “has been in ruins since December 2015” when he was stripped of his uniform and benefits.
The retired soldier explained that he had been serving with the 118 Task Force Battalion a unit engaged in intense counter-insurgency operations across Maiduguri and surrounding Borno communities. After the brutal encounter with Boko Haram fighters, survivors were ordered to assemble at a concentration point in Gubio, where their brigade commander addressed the troops and invited questions. The dismissed soldier said he and others raised their hands, but when he stepped forward, he was immediately disarmed, handcuffed, and taken to Maimalari Cantonment, where he spent ten days in detention before being charged with disobedience to an order — a charge he insists was unwarranted.
The soldier alleged that a senior Army officer identified as General Jamilu Sarham approved the punitive dismissals, affecting more than 300 service members from both the 118 and 157 Task Force Battalions deployed in the region. Despite his service record having joined the Army at age 18 in 2003 and participated in numerous operations, including in hybrid missions in Darfur and internal counter-insurgency he said he left the military without benefits, support, or acknowledgment.
Over a decade since his discharge, the former soldier described ongoing struggles: no salary, no military pension, and mounting hardship for his family. He said his children are out of school and his wife peddles small goods to survive. The psychological toll has also been severe, he explained, with frequent bouts of distress tied to both his wartime experiences and post-service life.
Efforts to appeal the dismissal through formal channels have, according to him, gone unanswered. He recalled a brief moment of hope when the late Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Attahiru, took an interest in their case only for that hope to fade following Attahiru’s death. Despite his ordeal, the ex-soldier said he retains a passion for service and is willing to contribute to security roles, civilian or otherwise, now that he has completed a university degree in political science.