Ex-soldier Private Ruth Ogunleye has called on the Nigerian Army to release the findings of their investigation into her allegations of sexual harassment against senior officers. Ogunleye, who was discharged from service, made this appeal after the Army stated that the officers she accused were found not guilty.
In a statement released on Tuesday, September 24, 2024, the Director of Army Public Relations, Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, announced that the investigation, which involved a thorough review of evidence and testimonies, concluded that Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem and the other officers implicated did not commit the offenses alleged by Ogunleye. “Medical evaluations conducted at the National Hospital in Abuja revealed that Private Ogunleye was suffering from a medical condition that made her vulnerable,” Nwachukwu explained.
Reacting to this, Ogunleye took to her TikTok account to express her gratitude to the Army but reiterated her plea for transparency. “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 stated.
Ogunleye had initially accused Colonel Abdulkareem, Colonel G.S. Ogor, and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo of harassment and misconduct, which she said escalated to her being forcibly removed from her residence and detained in a psychiatric hospital for rejecting Abdulkareem’s advances.
In a separate plea, she called on the Minister of Women Affairs, Uju Kennedy, to break her silence on the matter. “You requested me to leave the job, and I submitted my handwritten voluntary resignation letter to you, which you gave to the Army. Please come out and say things as they are,” Ogunleye urged.
Ogunleye, visibly upset, expressed confusion over the claims of mental illness tied to her discharge. “How was I boarded out, and where is this mental illness coming from?” she questioned.
The case has sparked widespread attention on social media, with many calling for a transparent investigation to ensure justice is served.
