Don’t cover up female soldier’s harassment, Netizens tell Army

Many netizens are enraged over the allegations made by a Nigerian female soldier, identified as Ruth Ogunleye, against some superior officers.

The female soldier had said she was being victimised and maltreated because she refused to give in to her superiors’ sexual advances.

Sharing her experiences on TikTok under her handle @ogunleyeruthsavage1, she stated that some superior officers, whom she identified as Col. I. B. Abdulkareem, Col. G. S. Ogor, and Brig. Gen. I. B. Solebo had made life unbearable for her since she joined the Army.

The soldier also alleged that Abdulkareem made repeated attempts to assault her by administering injections against her will.

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She also alleged that he orchestrated her removal from her residence, and confined her to a psychiatric hospital for several months.

Ogunleye also stated that the officer had hindered her career advancement by denying her promotional courses because she rejected his romantic advances.

In the video, she stated, “In 2022, I was posted to the Cantonment Medical Centre, Ojo, where I met Col I. B. 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 and sends some boys to my house…I have all the evidence. I have evidence against him and I have witnesses.

“He also stigmatised me, saying that I have a mental illness. Every time I try to expose him or each time any senior person or any senior officer tries to intervene, he will tell them that I have a mental illness.

“He (froze) my account for one year from 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, a female soldier, 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. I. B. Solebo and some of those senior colonels will come to that place, and they will be videoing me.”

The soldier also appealed to Nigerians for support, adding that she knew that her disclosure would lead to grave consequences and possible arrest.

Ogunleye added that her father had tried to intervene by begging the said Abdulkareem to bring her some peace but to no avail.

This has set social media agog with several users asking for the dismissal of the culprits if found guilty after investigations.

An X user, Farmers of Thought, tweeting from @Its_ereko, wrote, “She should be protected, please. Dem fit to come for her different ways. We know this country.”

Another user, Tunde Jimoh, tweeting from @iamtundegold, wrote, “Is it by force? If a woman refuses you, must you subject her to ridicule and animal life? After all, there are many other women out there who will happily open hands to receive you.”

Another X user, @Aginas, noted that it was brave for her to speak up.

The user said, “(It is) brave of her to speak out. Many are suffering the same fate. Her revelation might save many others like her.”

Another X user, Hauwa Adamu, tweeting from @hansatua, wrote, “Imagine u serving your father’s land and all your colleague could see is how to get into your behind. So sad! The Nigerian military should protect this woman.”

John Tyler Echefu, another X user, wrote, “The chief of Army staff and minister of women affairs should please investigate this allegation of sexual harassment by the female soldier against some senior officers and the young lady should be protected from this group of officers.

“It is crucial to ensure a fair and thorough investigation is conducted to bring justice to the victim. Every individual has the right to a safe and respectful working environment, and any form of harassment should not be tolerated. The alleged actions, if proven true, reflect a grave violation of trust and abuse of power. It is essential to take prompt action to prevent such incidents from recurring in the future.”

A lady on X @BigNkay, wrote, “I love her courage. I hope they won’t turn it on her and get her sacked. To say the least, female security personnel across all the bodies go through a lot of sexual molestation.”

Adewale Damilare, tweeted, “Those superior officers should be made to face the music but na 9ja we dey where anyhowness is the order of the day. She must be protected at all costs.”

Don’t interfere – Army

Reacting to the development in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Saturday, the Nigerian Army urged the public to allow the investigative process to take its full course, while noting that it was committed to upholding the integrity and morals of its personnel.

The statement read, “We assure the general public that the Nigerian Army as an institution is committed to upholding the integrity and morals of its personnel, and as such appropriate actions will 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 NA remains dedicated to serving our nation with honour and integrity.

Earlier on, the Director of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, slammed the female soldier, adding that she did not seek redress in accordance with the laid-down procedure.

He, however, noted that the Nigerian Army would investigate Ogunleye’s allegations.