Nigerian Soldiers Back From ECOWAS Missions In Gambia, Guinea-Bissau Protest Over Unpaid Allowances, Say Ghanaian, Senegalese Colleagues Paid

SaharaReporters had previously reported that the soldiers' had appealed to government and defense headquarters to pay them. Nigerian soldiers who recently returned from peacekeeping operations in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau under the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) have renewed their appeal to the Federal Government over outstanding allowances. The soldiers, who served under the ECOWAS Mission in The Gambia (ECOMIG) and the ECOWAS Mission in Guinea-Bissau, returned to Nigeria approximately four months ago but are still owed between six and seven months of their operational allowances, despite ECOWAS reportedly releasing the funds. According to insider sources who spoke to SaharaReporters on Saturday, soldiers deployed to the Gambia were paid six months and remain owed six months, while those deployed to Guinea-Bissau were paid three months and are being owed seven months. SaharaReporters had previously reported that the soldiers' had appealed to government and defense headquarters to pay them. That report, prompted immediate action, with the Defence Headquarters confirming that funds for the Sudan operation under the United Nations mission, had been received and the affected troops had been paid last week. Speaking to SaharaReporters on Saturday, the concerned soldiers questioned why their colleagues from Ghana and Senegal who participated in the same ECOWAS missions were paid all their allowances before leaving the mission areas, while Nigerian troops continue to wait. "We are calling on the Federal Government of Nigeria to urgently pay the outstanding entitlements owed to Nigerian soldiers who were deployed abroad and returned about four months ago, but have still yet to receive all the funds due to them," one of the sources said. "We understand that ECOWAS has already made the necessary payments for these soldiers' entitlements. However, despite this, the Nigerian Government has yet to ensure that the soldiers receive what they are rightfully owed." The soldiers' plight first came to public attention in September 2026, when SaharaReporters exclusively reported that over 200 Nigerian soldiers deployed to The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau for ECOWAS missions were demanding unpaid bonuses totaling N9.2 million ($5,700) each. Each soldier was entitled to a $950 monthly bonus from ECOWAS. Sources had disclosed that the payment discrepancies varied by mission: those deployed to Sudan were paid three months and owed seven months, those deployed to Gambia were paid six months and remained owed six months, while those deployed to Guinea-Bissau were paid three months and owed seven months. At the time, the soldiers warned that if the matter was not addressed, they would have no choice but to bring the situation to the attention of the public. When contacted by SaharaReporters for clarification, the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, confirmed that Nigerian troops are participating in operations in the three countries. He however, explained that the Sudan mission is United Nations-led, while the operations in The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau are ECOWAS-led. "Funding for the payment of these allowances is the exclusive responsibility of the two international organisations and not Nigeria as a nation," Uba said. "Allowances due personnel are paid to them promptly on receipt from the UN and ECOWAS as applicable." The Defence spokesman disclosed that funds for the Sudan operation had been received and the affected troops were paid the previous week — payment that came only after SaharaReporters made inquiries and published its report. "With regards to your inquiry, funds for Sudan have been received and troops paid last week. Those who came back from Gambia and Guinea Bissau will be paid on receipt of funds from ECOWAS. The DHQ is making efforts to ensure funds are released to us for immediate payment," Uba said. He also stressed that the welfare of military personnel remains a priority for the Defence Headquarters, noting that allowances received from international organisations are separate from the salaries and other allowances ordinarily paid to members of the Armed Forces. However, the soldiers' account contradicts the prompt payment claim. They returned four months ago. Their colleagues in Sudan have just been paid after media pressure. Those back from The Gambia and Guinea-Bissau are still waiting — six to seven months unpaid — while ECOWAS is blamed for the delay. The soldiers insist that the money is already in hand and that the Sudan payment is proof that public pressure works. "Sir, they paid the money after SaharaReporters publication. I swear the money dey for hand," one soldier told SaharaReporters. "Because Ghana and Senegal soldiers that were in Gambia and Guinea-Bissau, they paid all their allowance. So why is it only Nigeria that has not paid? Maybe they are just using the money — that is why as that news came out, they paid Sudan." Appealing to the authorities to pay what is rightfully due to them, the soldiers said: "We are only asking for what we worked for and what is owed to us."