By James Orji
The Nigerian Army has responded to the detention of Hannah Sofiat, a female soldier who was involved in an amorous relationship with a male member of the National Youth Service Corps, NYSC in Kwara state. A video clip went viral last week where the soldier kissed the Corps member after he proposed to her. Sofiat has since been detained by the Army authority.
Some human rights activists, including the publisher of Sahara Reporter Omoyele Sowore have demand the immediate release of the soldier.
In a Facebook post on Sunday, Sowore said no law prevents anyone from accepting a marriage proposal in military uniform.
He said, “#FreeSofiat HQ Nigerian Army is illegally holding Army Private Hannah Sofiat A, her offence was accepting a marriage proposal from her National Youth Corps Service lover at a Mammy Market in Ilorin. There is no law that prevents anyone from accepting a marriage proposal in military uniform but as it is typical of the pre-civilization Nigerian military, she was clamped into detention at Sobi Military Cantonment in Ilorin, Kwara State.
“The Nigerian military must release Sofiat asap and apologise to her for illegal detention. #RevolutionNow.”
But reacting to the issue, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, told The PUNCH that the female officer violated military laws by getting involved in a public display of amorous relationship with a paramilitary trainee – a corps member.
The Army spokesman, however, did not say whether the female soldier will be dismissed from the military over the act.
Nwachukwu said the female soldier violated the Nigerian Army’s rules and regulations guiding the codes of conduct of military personnel when deployed for duty, noting that the soldier’s action amounted to taking advantage of her trainee. The female soldier, the Army spokesman said, displayed indiscipline which is frowned at in the military.
According to him, “the female soldier in question violated the following rules of the NA: fraternisation while on official duty at the NYSC camp. That is, indulging in an amorous relationship with a trainee.
“Personnel must have served for three years before he/she can qualify for marriage. She disobeyed the Armed Forces of Nigeria standing guidelines and directives for the use of Social Media. Indulging in romance while in uniform.
“Her conduct was prejudicial to good order and military discipline. All the above, if proven are in violation of extant laws with attendant disciplinary and penal implications.
“As a personnel, her task was to train the Youth Corps members and not to indulge in amorous relationship with any of them. These rules were put in place for the purpose of proper administration and discipline in the Army. If I may ask, what if the soldier was a male? How would the public have perceived his action? Definitely, it would have been perceived as taking advantage of a female Corper, a trainee, put in his care for training.”
He said officers are bound by the military rules which they have sworn to obey
“the Nigerian Military like all others, has its disciplinary codes, distinct from that of the general society. All personnel have voluntarily undertaken to be bound by this code.
Last month, the Nigerian Navy detained, for several days, comedian Abdulgafar Ahmad, aka Cute Abiola, for posting a video of himself in military uniform on social media. He has since been released.
