A Nigerian female soldier who recently complained in the viral video about sexual harassment by top military officers has been reportedly invited to Abuja.
A top military source revealed this to Punch Metro on Tuesday night, adding that President Bola Tinubu is interested in the case even.
Noting that the female soldier violated the ethics of the army by going to social media, the source said, however, if the officer is actually guilty as alleged army may not look into that before meting out appropriate sanction to the officers.
“Yes. The lady who complained in the viral video about sexual harassment in the military has been moved to Abuja by air this morning. She was flown out accompanied by military police in mufti from Lagos to Abuja. In fact President Bola Tinubu is even interested in the case.
“Though the female officer violated the ethics of the army by going to social media. We have our way of doing things. We are not permitted to do video on social media. We have relevant authority, appropriate channels she should have used.
“The thing is that if the officers are actually guilty of the allegation, they will not look into that because she might have done that out of frustration, which is a result of emotional trauma and physiological ailment.
“She claimed she had reported the case to some officers but nobody was giving her a listening ear she might resolve to use that means when the appropriate channels we use in the force failed her.
“I’m sure army will be very careful when carrying out its investigation because it has become a national issue. No stone will be left unturned during the investigation. Even the way it’s going now some right activists may want to take the matter up. We have our own lawyers and investigative team, they will do their job without bias”, the source explained.e
Contrary to reports which claimed she was arrested, our source reliably confirmed that she was only invited for further investigation.
“She was not arrested. They only invited her to Abuja for further investigation because that’s the headquarters of the investigative team. She was not moved to Abuja in cuffs. She took flight with escort”, the source added.
Punch Metro had earlier reported as seen in a recent viral video the case of an alleged abuse of a female soldier identified as Ogunleye Ruth.
In the video, Ruth accused her superiors identified as Col.IB Abdulkareem, Col. GS Ogor and Brig. Gen.IB Solebo, of harassment and intimidation because she rejected Abdulkareem’s sexual advances, adding that if anything happens to her, they should be held responsible.
She also noted that her bank account had been frozen since February 2023 and she had not been paid salary for no reason.
She further alleged that Col. Abdulkareem had attempted to rape her on multiple occasions. The female soldier said the army officer later claimed that she had a mental illness, adding that she had made several efforts including writing a petition and getting some senior and junior officers to intervene but that all was to no avail.
She also said that Col. Abdulkareem had denied her access to every army course and passes to see her parents.
According to her, her father contacted Col. Abdulkareem over her issues, but he (Abdulkareem) reportedly told her father to inform her to obey the last order.
She said, “I know definitely they will come for me. They will lock me up and they will dismiss me but I don’t care. I can’t endure again. Before coming out to make this video, I can’t endure again. I don’t want to die young.
“If anything should happen to me, please hold Col. I.B. Abdulkareem, Col. G.S. Ogor and Brig. Gen. I.B. Solebo responsible, because they don’t want me to grow. They don’t want my progress.
“In 2022, I was posted to Cantonment Medical Center, Ojo where I met Col. I.B. Abdulkareem, who requested for me and I refused. Ever since then, this man has been my nightmare in the army – threatening to dismiss me each time he sees me.
“He ejected me from my room, sent some boys to my house. I have all the evidence and I have witness. He came to my house to eject me.
“Each time I try to expose him or each time any senior officer tries to intervene, he also stigmatizes me, that I have mental illness. He would always tell them that I have mental illness.
“He wrote to DOA three times to board me out of the army. He froze my account for one year. He froze my account since February last year (2023) till date, no salary.
“I have cried to some senior officers. I wrote a petition using Section 179 of the Armed Forces Act. I have seen so many officers, senior officers, junior officers to intervene but none of them is giving me a listening ear. Any time anyone tries to intervene, he will tell them that I have mental illness.
“There was a day he locked me, he almost raped me and when they caught him, he said I have mental illness and he took me to a psychiatric hospital and locked me up there for one month without any medication.
“He has denied me access to military courses, meanwhile, they know very well that my progression in the army is determined by my course attendance. Now course, I have been given admission to a medical school but he refused to release me.
“There was a day I called my dad and my dad intervened but he told my dad to tell me to obey the last order. What is the last order? For him to sleep with me?
“He has denied me everything. I can’t even go on passes to see my parents. No pass, no leave for me. But please and please, if anything should happen to me, hold them responsible, especially Col. IB Abdulkareem, Col. GS Ogor, and Brig. Gen. IB Solebo. They are my nightmare in the Army.
“They have done everything to tarnish my image because they are all coursemates. I don’t know what I have done to them. Till today I haven’t collected my salary. I can’t endure this again. Let the worst happen.”
While reacting to the incident, the army in a release by the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, stated that the female soldier had yet to inform relevant bodies and institutions about her predicament before releasing the video.
