Ruth Ogunleye, a female member of the Nigerian military, has bravely stepped into the spotlight with accusations against her higher-ups.
She attributed her challenging experiences to specific superiors—Col. IB Abdulkareem, Col. GS Ogor, and Brig. Gen. IB Solebo.
The weight of Ogunleye’s accusations falls squarely on Col. IB Abdulkareem, whom she holds accountable for the tribulations she encounters in the Army.
Recently, Ogunleye, recognized as @Ogunleyeruthsavage1 on TikTok, took to the platform to share the harrowing details of her experience.
She details a disturbing account where Abdulkareem allegedly attempted assault, forced injections, eviction from her residence, and prolonged confinement in a psychiatric hospital, as per her claims.
She further disclosed that the officer impeded her career progression by withholding promotion courses, citing her refusal of his advances as the reason.
She said, ‘In 2022, I was posted to Cantonment Medical Centre, Ojo, where I met Col IB Abdulkareem who requested sex from me and I refused. Ever since then, this man has been my nightmare in the Army, threatening to dismiss me each time.’
‘He comes to my room to inject me in my apartment. Send some boys to my house. If I’m lying I have all evidence. I have evidence against him and I have witnesses.’
‘He also stigmatised me that I have mental illness. Each time I try to expose him or each time any senior person or any senior officer tries to intervene, he will tell them I have a mental illness.’
‘He [froze] my account for one year. February last year till date, no salary.’
‘Anytime he feels like he wants to embarrass me, he asks some soldiers to beat me. After beating me up, they will inject me. He will ask one Funke Ayeni, she is a female soldier, and he will ask her to set me up. She will set me up, inject me and they will go and throw me somewhere. At the end of the day, this Brig. Gen. IB Solebo and some of those senior colonel, they will come to that place, they will be videoing me,’ she added.
Ogunleye appealed to Nigerians for support.
Taking responsibility, she acknowledged the potential outcomes and mentally prepared for the prospect of arrest.
She mentioned that her father, in an effort to intervene and ease her situation, approached Col. IB Abdulkareem to seek resolution and peace.
She claimed the officer told her father to relay the message to her to “Obey the last command.”
She said the “last order” was for the colonel to “sleep with me.”
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Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army has pledged to conduct a rigorous investigation into the accusations raised by Ogunleye.
Maj. Gen. Nwachukwu Onyema, the Director of Army Public Relations, emphasized that the investigation’s purpose is to establish the accuracy and scope of her allegations.
Onyema rebuked the female soldier, emphasizing that she did not adhere to the established protocol for addressing grievances.
‘The Nigerian Army has been inundated with audiovisuals making the rounds on social media of the unprofessional conduct of a female soldier in mufti who claimed to have been maltreated by some senior officers.’
‘It is instructive to state that, considering the gravity of the allegations, NA, as a disciplined force, will conduct a thorough investigation into the matter,’ he said.
‘We assure the general public that the NA as an institution is committed to upholding the integrity and morals of its personnel and as such, appropriate actions will be taken based on the findings of the investigation.’
‘We urge the public to allow the investigative process to take its course and refrain from making hasty judgments. The NA remains dedicated to serving our nation with honour and integrity,’ he added.
This recent disclosure joins a growing list of reports highlighting maltreatment incidents involving soldiers of the Nigerian army.
Recently, Inibehe Effiong, a lawyer specializing in public interest and human rights, lodged a petition with Lieutenant General Taoreed Lagbaja, the Chief of Army Staff.
Effiong has formally requested that those responsible for assaulting police officer ASP Edet Inyang within the Army be identified and face the consequences of their actions.
Inyang, as per his statement, faced torture orchestrated by a group of Army personnel in the vicinity of the Nigerian Army’s 63 Brigade located in Asaba, Delta State.
The incident, reportedly on December 9, 2023, unfolded at a store where the policeman had gone to make personal purchases.