The Nigerian Army, according to Uju Kennedy-Ohanenye, the minister of women’s affairs, must investigate allegations of sexual harassment of a female soldier by senior officers.
In a statement issued on Monday, Kennedy condemned the soldier’s alleged sexual harassment and promised to intervene.
Ruth Ogunleye, a Nigerian army soldier, accused a colonel and two other senior officers of “sexual harassment, intimidation, and threat to life” in a TikTok video.
The female soldier claimed that the colonel made her life difficult after she turned down his sexual advances.
She claimed that every time she reported him to his superiors, the colonel threatened to dismiss her from the army and stigmatised her with mental illness.
She also claimed he forcibly committed her to a psychiatric hospital and withheld her pay since February 2023.
In response to the allegations, Kennedy stated that they are “very disturbing,” adding that she is working to eliminate gender disparities and all forms of violence against women.
The statement reads:
“Worried by the content of the viral video which is currently trending on various social media handles in which a Nigerian army female personnel by the name Ruth Ogunleye came out with serious allegations of sexual harassment by her superiors, the honourable minister of women affairs, Barr Uju Kennedy Ohanenye has vowed to step into the matter.”
“The Lady alleged that she has been subjected to all forms of unfair treatment and stigmatization by her superiors; Col IB Abdulkareem, Col GS Ogor and Brig. Gen. IB Solebo who according to her, stopped her salary last year, drugged her and ejected her from her apartment.
“The contents of the video are so disturbing and should not be allowed to be swept under the carpet as women remain weaker vessels and should not be subjected to any form of maltreatment, dehumanization or harassment, especially in an egalitarian society where gender balance and fairness should be upheld by all and sundry.
“I need to reiterate my ministry’s displeasure over situations where Nigerian women hold the short end of the stick even as the present administration is working assiduously to stamp out all forms of gender inequality and harmful treatments against the female gender.
“As the minister of women’s affairs, I remain resolute in my resolve to protect the interest of Nigerian women and strongly condemn the contents of the online video if verified to be true”.
She praised Nigeria’s military for its “pedigree on discipline, decorum, and comportment.”
The minister urged the army’s high command to thoroughly investigate the alleged sexual harassment claims and punish the perpetrators.