Ruth Ogunleye, an ex-soldier, has asked the Nigerian Army to publish the outcome of the investigation that led to her discharge. In January, Og
Ruth Ogunleye, an ex-soldier, has asked the Nigerian Army to publish the outcome of the investigation that led to her discharge.
In January, Ogunleye accused three senior officers, including Ishiaku Abdulkareem, a colonel, of sexual harassment, intimidation and threat to her life. The female soldier alleged that the colonel made sexual advances to her which she rejected.
“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 eject me from my apartment and send some boys to my house. If I’m lying, I have all the evidence. I have evidence against him, and I have witnesses.”
Ogunleye added that anytime she tries to report Abdulkareem to senior officers, he always tells them she is battling mental illness.
She also claimed that she has not received a salary since February 2023.
“He also stigmatised me that I have a mental illness. Each time I try to expose him or any senior officer tries to intervene, he will tell them I have a mental illness. There was a day he locked me up and almost raped me. When they caught him, he said I had a mental illness. Anytime he feels like he wants to embarrass me, he asks some soldiers to beat me.”
She added that when her father tried to intervene, the senior officer told him to ask her daughter to obey the “last order”.
“What is the last order? To sleep with me,” she added.
Ogunleye said she understands that the aftermath of her published video is her dismissal from the army, adding that she can no longer endure the treatment.
She claimed that the senior officer consequently threatened to dismiss her from the army, denied her promotion courses, and rejected her army pass request.
She also narrated how the colonel allegedly evicted her from her apartment and locked her up in a psychiatric hospital.
On September 24, Onyema Nwachukwu, army spokesperson, said investigations into Ogunleye’s allegations showed that Abdulkareem was innocent.
Nwachukwu said the colonel has been exonerated of the allegations while Ogunleye has been discharged from the service.
He added that in the course of investigation, it was observed that Ogunleye’s mental condition had worsened.
Reacting to the spokesperson’s statement in a video on TikTok, Ogunleye asked the Nigerian Army to publicise the outcome of its investigation in the same manner her discharge was publicised.
“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,” she said.
“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 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 and what led to my discharge. I will be very grateful if my request is considered.”
