Sexual Harassment: Ex-Female Soldier Challenges Army To Publish Investigation Outcome After Claims Of Mental Illness

Ruth Ogunleye, a soldier who was discharged from the Nigerian Army following her allegations of sexual harassment against a senior officer, Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem, has called on the military to share the findings of its investigation publicly.

In January 2024, Ogunleye took to her TikTok account, @Ogunleyeruthsavage1, to call out Colonel Abdulkareem, along with Colonel G.S. Ogor and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo, for making her service life extremely difficult. She said Abdulkareem repeatedly tried to assault her, administered injections without her consent, forcibly removed her from her home and held her in a psychiatric hospital for several months after she rejected his advances.

On Tuesday, September 24, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, addressed the media, claiming that an in-depth investigation, including an exhaustive review of the facts, testimonies, and evidence presented, concluded that Abdulkareem did not commit the alleged offences. He also claimed that medical evaluations at the National Hospital in Abuja showed Ogunleye had a condition that made her mentally ill.

Following this statement, Ogunleye called for transparency from the army saying:

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.”

She also called upon the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, who encouraged her to write the discharge letter, to speak out about the situation.

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 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?” She said, shocked that her discharge was tied to a mental illness.

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