“I’m not sure we still have a president” – Nigerian Soldier breaks down in viral video, tells citizens to ařm themselves
A serving Nigerian Army corporal has sparked national alarm after posting an emotional video in which he declared that the country appears to have no functioning leadership and urged every citizen to “find whatever weapon you can and be ready to defend yourself.”
Speaking in a mixture of Pidgin and plain English from what looks like a military barracks, the clearly exhausted soldier said: “Honestly, I no even sure say we still get president again. Every day the same story bandits dey move freely, dey kidnap school children, dey kill innocent people, and nobody dey do anything serious about it. We soldier dey front line, we dey die, our mates dey fall, but nothing dey change.
I don tire. All of us don tire.
Make everybody find kala for himself now o. Because if you wait for government to save you, you go wait till thy kingdom come.”
The video, which surfaced late Tuesday night, has been viewed millions of times and shared widely across WhatsApp, X, and TikTok. Many Nigerians say the soldier is simply voicing what they have felt for months: a deep sense of abandonment amid endless kidnappings, bandit attacks, and rising violence.
This outburst comes barely a week after 24 schoolgirls were abducted from their hostel in Kebbi State an attack that happened less than an hour after soldiers guarding the school were mysteriously withdrawn. The girls were later released after days of negotiations, but no arrests were made.
On Wednesday morning, Defense Headquarters described the video as “an isolated case of low morale” and said the soldier is being identified and will face disciplinary action. However, the statement did little to calm public reaction.
Many online comments expressed sympathy rather than condemnation: “If the people carrying guns for us are this broken and hopeless, wetin remain for ordinary citizen?”
“This is not just one soldier talking. This is the voice of the entire barracks.”
Civil rights activist Deji Adeyanju reposted the clip with the caption: “When your defenders start crying on camera, you no longer have a security problem. You have a leadership crisis.”
As the video continues to spread, it has reignited calls for urgent action: better welfare and equipment for troops, an honest national conversation about why, ten years after Chibok, Nigerian children are still being stolen from their schools, and Nigerian soldiers are losing hope.
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