The Nigerian Defence Headquarters has started paying a portion of the overdue bonuses to soldiers who were deployed to Guinea-Bissau and Gambia as part of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) mission in 2023. This comes after it was reported that some soldiers were owed substantial sums, amounting to N9.2 million ($5,700) each.
In June 2023, 177 soldiers were sent to Guinea-Bissau and over 100 to Gambia to help restore peace and stability in the region. Soldiers from Senegal and Ghana also joined Nigerian troops in the ECOWAS mission. Each soldier was entitled to a $950 monthly bonus for their participation.
Reports indicate that some soldiers have started receiving credit alerts for these bonuses. While some soldiers have now received six months’ worth of payments, others who had only received payments for three months previously have now received an additional three months. However, all soldiers are still owed six months of bonuses.
Soldiers expressed frustration at the delayed payments, noting that they were supposed to receive the full bonuses at once instead of in installments.
