Sexual harassment: Dismissed female soldier dares Army to publish investigation report

Private Ruth Ogunleye, a former female soldier who was discharged after accusing a senior officer, Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem, of sexual harassment, has asked the Nigerian Army to release the findings of its inquiry into the matter. 

In January 2024, on her TikTok profile, @Ogunleyeruthsavage1, Ogunleye said that Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem, Colonel G.S. Ogor, and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo had made her life terrible.

She accused Abdulkareem of repeatedly attempting to abuse her, providing injections against her will, forcibly removing her from her home, and detaining her in a psychiatric ward for several months after she declined his sexual advances.

However, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, told journalists on Tuesday that after an extensive analysis of the facts, testimony, and evidence presented, it was concluded that Abdulkareem did not commit the charges stated by Ogunleye.

Nwachukwu added that medical findings from an evaluation at the National Hospital in Abuja revealed that Ogunleye had a condition that made her medically fragile.

On Tuesday, Ogunleye responded to her dismissal from duty on her TikTok account, thanking the Army but pleading for the outcome of the investigation to be known.

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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.”

In a subsequent post, Ogunleye urged the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, not to remain silent on the issue.

She stated that the minister persuaded her to prepare the discharge letter, which she then presented to the Nigerian Army on her behalf.

Ogunleye was surprised to learn that her release was due to a mental ailment.

She said, “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 that I 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?”

Publish the outcome of the investigation that led to my discharge in June 2014 so the whole world can know what happened – Private Ruth Ogunleye breaks her silence after she was dismissed from the Nigerian Army, insists that she was h@rass€d by a senior officer, Colonel I.B… pic.twitter.com/r0vLwaFqM6

— ABUJAGIST (@abuja_gist) September 25, 2024

Sexual harassment: Dismissed female soldier dares Army to publish investigation report