Sexual Harassment: Discharged Soldier Challenges Army Authorities

A former female soldier, Private Ruth Ogunleye, in the centre of a sexual harassment allegation, has thrown a fresh challenge before the Nigerian Army high command.

She is asking it to make public, the outcome of its investigations of a senior officer, Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem, whom she accused of sexual harassment.

This was in her reaction to a press conference, on Tuesday, addressed by the Army in which she also mentioned Colonel G.S. Ogor, and Brigadier General I.B. Solebom.

The allegations last January, were through her TikTok page, @Ogunleyeruthsavage1, in which she specifically accused Abdulkareem of making repeated attempts to assault her.

She also alleged attempt at 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.

Reacting yesterday, the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, dismissed the allegations by Ruth Ogunleye, referencing the outcome of the investigation set up by the Army to look into the matter.

He said evidences have shown that Abdulkareem did not commit the offences of sexual harassment as alleged by Ogunleye, and that instead, medical reports following an evaluation at the National Hospital in Abuja indicated that Ogunleye was suffering from a condition that rendered her medically vulnerable.

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This has not gone down well with the lady: “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”.

“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.

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“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.

“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?”