Publish details of your investigation - Female army private tells the Nigerian army after being dismissed over s3xual harassment allegation against some senior officers

Private Ruth Ogunleye, a former Nigerian Army soldier, who was discharged after accusing a senior officer, Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem, of s3xual harassment, has called on the Nigerian Army to make public the outcome of its investigation into the matter.

In January 2024, Ogunleye, via her TikTok account, @Ogunleyeruthsavage1, accused Colonel Abdulkareem, Colonel G.S. Ogor, and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo of harassment, specifically alleging that Abdulkareem had attempted to assault her repeatedly. She claimed he forcibly removed her from her residence, administered injections against her will, and confined her to a psychiatric hospital after she rejected his alleged s3xual advances.

Addressing journalists on Tuesday, September 24, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, stated that following a thorough review of the evidence, it was determined that Abdulkareem did not commit the offences alleged by Ogunleye. Nwachukwu further revealed that medical reports from the National Hospital in Abuja indicated that Ogunleye had a medical condition that rendered her vulnerable.

In response to her discharge, Ogunleye took to TikTok to express her gratitude to the Nigerian Army but urged the authorities to publicly release the findings of the investigation.

“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," 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.”

Ogunleye also called on the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, to break her silence on the matter, recalling how the minister had urged her to submit her resignation.

“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."

Ogunleye expressed shock that her discharge was attributed to mental illness and questioned how her case had been converted into a medical discharge.

“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 a pension and other entitlements. How was I boarded out, and where is this mental illness coming from?”

Watch the video below…