The Nigerian Army (NA) has promised to conduct a thorough investigation into an allegation by a female soldier that she was maltreated by some senior officers.
A Nigerian military female personnel named Ruth Ogunleye, has been trending for putting out a video where she come forward with serious allegations against her superiors.
Ruth Ogunleye claims that some superiors, whom she identified as Col. IB Abdulkareem, Col. GS Ogor, and Brig. Gen. IB Solebo, have made her life unbearable.
Ogunleye holds Col. IB Abdulkareem particularly responsible for the difficulties she has faced in the Army.
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She claimed that Abdulkareem had made repeated attempts to assault her, administered injections against her will, forcibly removed her from her residence, and confined her in a psychiatric hospital for several months.
She added that the officer has hindered her career advancement by denying her promotion courses because she allegedly rejected his advances.
She said, “In 2022, I was posted to Cantonment Medical Centre, Ojo, where I met Col IB Abdulkareem who requested sex from me and I refused. Ever since then, this man has been my nightmare in the Army, threatening to dismiss me each time.
“He comes to my room to inject me in my apartment. Send some boys to my house. If I’m lying I have all evidence. I have evidence against him and I have witnesses.
“He also stigmatised me that I have mental illness. Each time I try to expose him or each time any senior person or any senior officer tries to intervene, he will tell them I have a mental illness.
“He froze my account for one year. February last year till date, no salary.”
“Anytime he feels like he wants to embarrass me, he asks some soldiers to beat me. After beating me up, they will inject me. He will ask one Funke Ayeni, she is a female soldier, and he will ask her to set me up. She will set me up, inject me and they will go and throw me somewhere. At the end of the day, this Brig. Gen. IB Solebo and some of those senior colonel, they will come to that place, they will be videoing me,” she added.
Ogunleye appealed to Nigerians for support.
Acknowledging the potential consequences of her actions and anticipating a possible arrest, Ogunleye claimed her father had tried to intervene with Col. IB Abdulkareem to bring her some peace but she claimed the officer told her father to relay the message to her to “Obey the last command.”
Meanwhile, the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said this in a statement on Friday in Abuja.
Nwachukwu said the army had been inundated with audiovisuals being circulated on social media about the conduct of a female soldier in mufti, who claimed to have been maltreated by senior officers.
According to him, it is instructive to state that considering the gravity of the allegations, the Nigeria Army, as a disciplined force will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter.
“It is crucial to point out that contrary to the claims made in the video, the soldier in question has not exhausted the laid down procedure for seeking redress in the NA.
“This is aside Human Rights and Gender Desks established in Army Headquarters and across NA formations, where complaints about human rights and gender issues are also entertained.
“The NA remains a professional force that self regulates and conducts its activities in adherence to established rules and ethics, while upholding the highest standards of discipline amongst personnel,” he said.
Nwachukwu, therefore, encouraged all personnel to always utilise the established channels for addressing grievances and concerns as members of a noble and disciplined force.
He assured the general public that the army as an institution was committed to upholding the integrity and moral of its personnel and as such appropriate actions would be taken based on the findings of the investigation.
“We urge the public to allow the investigative process to take its course and refrain from making hasty judgments.
“The army remains dedicated to serving our nation with honour and integrity,” he added.
