SAHARA REPORTERS
Some of the soldiers who spoke to SaharaReporters claimed Ali had been diverting their allowances.
Some personnel attached to the 198 Special Force of the Nigerian Army in Borno, Northeast Nigeria, have accused their Commanding Officer, Lieutenant Colonel Abdulahi Hassan Ali of corruption and financial mismanagement.
Some of the soldiers who spoke to SaharaReporters claimed Ali had been diverting their allowances.
They called on President Muhammadu Buhari; Chief of Army Staff, Lt Gen Faruk Yahaya; Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and National Assembly members to intervene in the matter.
According to the soldiers, the unit will soon witness a complete breakdown of order and discipline over the unpaid allowances and alleged bad treatment by their commander.
“We calling on them to quickly treat and investigate the reason why our commander has refused to pay soldiers all their operations funds which were directed to us in 198 Special Force Battalion, under 402 SF brigade.
“The Nigerian Army gave 198 Special Force Commanding officer, Lieutenant Colonel Abdulahi Hassan Ali millions of Naira to give his soldiers for Operation Thunder Strike that was conducted in Kaduna State in 2021 but he refused to pay them accordingly,” one of the soldiers said.
“The Borno state governor, His Excellency Governor Zulum gave 198 and 199 Special Forces Battalion funds; worth millions of Naira to give soldiers after they returned back to Maiduguri, Borno state from Kaduna state. To motivate/moralize soldiers for Operation desert sanity which was conducted in 2022 in Borno state. But both battalions’ commanders refused to give these soldiers their entitlements.
“The recent Sallah money worth millions of Naira which was given to the 134, 198 and 199 special forces battalions under 402 SF Brigade by the same Borno state governor Zulum as welfare was also diverted. The commanders of 134 and 199 battalions shared the money to their soldiers while Ali who is leading 198 SF refused to pay us.”
He continued, “In the ongoing operation forest sanity in Kaduna state, cows and motorcycles captured around Damba and Kudenden general area are being hidden in his newly built house in Kano and farm.
“This is a man who I said to convert soldiers’ entitlements, he has been pocketing the battalion’s feeding money every month. You know we dare not challenge or ask our commanding officer about all the money and other allowances but we have family and relatives that we are taking care of at our various homes. So Nigerians should please help us out.”
