The Nigerian Army has announced that it has discharged a female soldier, named Private Ruth Ogunleye, from the service after she accused a senior officer, Colonel I.B Abdulkareem, of sexual harassment.
The slider in In January 2024, she accused the senior military officer of sexual harassment through her TikTok page, @Ogunleyeruthsavage1; she had alleged that the officers Colonel I.B Abdulkareem, Colonel G.S Ogor, and Brigadier General I.B Solebo had made her life unbearable.
In her allegations, the soldier noted that Abdulkareem had been making sexual advances on her with the intention of assaulting her. She further noted that soldiers had gone ahead to inject her against her will, forcibly removing her from her residence and confining her to a psychiatric hospital for several months after the sexual demands made by the officer were rejected in several instances.
After the allegations were made, the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, asked for an intensive investigation into the incident.
He noted that when the claims made by her were received, the army had gone on to investigate the incident; the army noted that her allegations were of sexual harassment. He explained that the incident was referred to the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police, who were asked to conduct an intensive review to confirm the extent of the allegations. He also noted that the army had conducted the investigations according to the laws established by the military with fair representations in the case.
He stated that after the investigation, it was noted that the accused person, Colonel I.B Abdulkareem, did not commit the offence of sexual harassment as alleged by ex-Private Ruth Ogunleye. According to him, the findings were made from an objective evaluation of available information presented to the team of investigators.
He disclosed that the solder had been diagnosed with a mental condition when the investigations into her sexual harassment allegation were ongoing by the police. He noted that her behaviour, both online and offline, raised questions about her deteriorating mental health and emotional stability.
After an examination by the investigation team at the National Hospital in Abuja, it was discovered that Ogunleye was suffering from a condition that rendered her medically vulnerable.
Onyema confirmed that after the medical examination results were presented to the police, it was concluded that the army would not take further disciplinary actions against the officer due to her medical honorability; instead, she was discharged from the military due to medical instability.
He explained that after the investigations, the army decided to stop all disciplinary procedures against the officer. He explained that the military could still punish her indiscipline and misconduct but opted to exercise compassion and leniency. Based on the medical report from the National Hospital and advice from the Nigerian Army Medical Corps, the decision was made to shelve any disciplinary procedures that could have been taken against her.
He noted that the army had prioritised her health, understanding that she was in no position to continue with military service. Subsequently, she was boarded and discharged from service. He also confirmed that although Ogunleye was not entitled to a pension, she was discharged with a 50 per cent monthly pension for life, among other benefits.
The army noted that she was paid her. She has also been paid her Terminal Leave Allowance and Terminal Packing Allowance, as well as her contributions to the Nigerian Army Welfare Insurance Scheme and Benevolent Fund.
Onyema noted that the payment was made into her FCMB account on 14 August 2024. He also noted that the Security Debarment Allowance for the period she served (5 years and 54 days) has also been paid. According to him, the army decided to discharge her after she rejected an offer of medical treatment, either from the National Hospital or the Nigerian Army.
