DISCHARGED female soldier, Private Ruth Ogunleye, has called on the Nigerian Army to make public the outcome of an investigation into her allegations of sexual harassment and mistreatment by her superiors.
She also urged the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, to clarify the lingering issues regarding her discharge.
Ogunleye said the minister convinced her to voluntarily resign from the Army, adding that the minister submitted her resignation letter on her behalf.
She explained that the minister was in the know of all that transpired with her case, stressing that the Army handed her over to the minister’s office after she was discharged.
The ICIR reported on Tuesday, September 25, that Ruth was discharged from service following an investigation into her allegations.
Earlier in January, Ogunleye accused I.B. Abdulkareem, a colonel, and two other senior Army officers of harassing and threatening her.
In a (now deleted) video she posted on her TikTok page, she claimed I.B Abdulkareem, G.S Ogor, both colonel, and I.B Solebo, a brigadier-general, were threatening her life.
She claimed that after she was posted to the Cantonment Medical Centre, Ojo, Lagos state, Abdulkareem made sexual advances towards her, which she had rejected several times.
She also claimed that the senior officer threatened to dismiss her, deny her promotion courses and reject her Army pass request.
Army launches probe
Following this allegation, the Chief of Army Staff, Taoreed Lagbaja, ordered an investigation into her claims.
However, addressing journalists on Tuesday, September 24, the director of Army Public Relations, Onyema Nwachukwu, a major-general, said the Army cleared the accused, I.B Abdulkareem, a colonel, of any wrongdoing after a thorough investigation.
He said despite its capability to carry out disciplinary action against the dismissed officer for acts of indiscipline and misconduct, the Army opted for compassion and leniency due to her medical reports.
The Army said several medical checks conducted on the dismissed officer showed that she was “medically vulnerable”, meaning that she could have made her allegation due to mental instability.
“Instead, the Army prioritised her health, understanding that she was in no position to continue with military service. She was subsequently boarded and discharged from service.”
Publish outcomes of your investigation – Ruth urges Army
Reacting to her discharge from service on her TikTok account on Tuesday, the former soldier urged the Nigerian army to publish the outcome of the investigation that led to her discharge.
“I want to say a big thank you to the Nigerian Army and its spokesperson, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu…It is no longer news that I was discharged from the service on June 15, 2024. I humbly request that the Nigerian Army publish the outcome of the investigation that led to my discharge on all social media platforms…
“On January 9, 2024, I came on social media to complain about how I was harassed by Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem, Colonel G.S. Ogor, and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo. I also want to beg the Nigerian Army to post the outcome of the investigation on its social media platforms so that the whole world will know what truly transpired between myself and Abudlkareem and what led to my discharge. I will be very grateful if you people considered my request.
“I also want it to be published on social media platforms the same way that it was published that I have been dismissed.”
Ogunleye lamented how her discharge was linked to claims of mental illness, noting that the chief of Army staff only informed her that her letter would be converted to medical discharge for her to benefit from pension among others.
Women Affairs minister requested me to leave job
She said, “I’m calling out the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy. You’re not just a mother, you’re a woman everybody respects so much. Please come out and say things as they are. Ma, you requested me to leave the job, and I submitted my handwritten voluntary resignation letter to you, which you gave to the Army, and requested that they release me to your office. The psychiatric doctors were there when you intervened.
“Come out and tell the truth, ma. Thereafter, the Chief of Army Staff called me on July 1, where he told me he converted my voluntary discharge to a medical discharge because you wanted me to benefit from pension and other entitlements. How was I boarded out, and where is this mental illness coming from?” she queried.
Usman Mustapha is a solution journalist with International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: [email protected]. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M