A former female soldier, Private Ruth Ogunleye, who was discharged from service over health grounds, after accusing a senior officer, Colonel Ishiaku B. Abdulkareem, of sexual harassment, has appealed to the Nigerian Army to publish the outcome of its investigation into the matter.
According to the statement by the Director, of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, on Tuesday disclosed that the female Ex-Private Ruth has been discharged with 50 percent benefits due to a mental health challenge she suffered in the course of service.
In January 2024, Ogunleye took to her TikTok page, @Ogunleyeruthsavage1, to share her allegations, claiming that Colonel Abdulkareem, along with Colonel G.S. Ogor and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo, had made her life “unbearable.”
She specifically accused Abdulkareem of making repeated attempts to assault her, administering injections against her will, forcibly removing her from her residence, and confining her to a psychiatric hospital for several months after she rejected his sexual advances.
During a press briefing on Tuesday, Director of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, stated, “After an exhaustive review of the facts, testimonies, and evidence presented, it was determined that Abdulkareem did not commit the offences as alleged by Ogunleye.” He further noted that medical evaluations at the National Hospital in Abuja indicated Ogunleye was suffering from a condition that rendered her medically vulnerable.
In her reaction to the Army’s decision, Ogunleye expressed gratitude but urged for transparency.
She said, “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 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.”
Ogunleye also called upon the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, to address the matter publicly, recalling that the minister had encouraged her to submit her discharge letter to the Army.
She stated, “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.
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“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?”
The Nigerian Army has vigorously refuted Ogunleye’s allegations, asserting that the claims against Colonel Abdulkareem and other senior officers were unfounded. Maj. Gen. Nwachukwu emphasized that the Army takes every allegation seriously, stating, “The Nigerian Army is a professional force that is committed to the highest standards of discipline, integrity and accountability, guided by rules and regulations that ensure every officer and soldier operates within the framework of respect for human rights and due process.”
