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 s3xual advances.
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, 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 offenses 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 gra