The Nigerian Army has refused to release the report of its investigation into sexual abuse accusations by ex-private Ruth Ogunleye, despite a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

Following Ogunleye’s widely reported sexual abuse claims made against Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem, the army authorities said its investigative findings exonerated the accused colonel, defending him as a “dedicated officer”. The army also hinted at Ogunleye being mentally ill.

Ogunleye was Abdulkareem’s subordinate during her time at the Nigerian Army Medical Corps Headquarters in Lagos.

READ ALSO: Discharged Soldier: Chief of Defence Staff Once Told Me to ‘Endure’ Harassment

She denied being unwell mentally and called on the army to publish the result of the report for public transparency.

PRESS BRIEFING ON ALLEGATIONS BY EX-PRIVATE RUTH OGUNLEYE AGAINST COL IB ABDULKAREEM AND OTHERS OF THE NIGERIAN ARMY MEDICAL CORPS1.Good morning, ladies and gentlemen of the press. Today, the Nigerian Army deems it necessary to address a series of grave allegations, act of… pic.twitter.com/lXqraXV1YC— Nigerian Army (@HQNigerianArmy) September 24, 2024

On October 2, FIJ emailed the Nigerian Army via na.callcentre@army.mil.ng, the only email address available on its website, with a request written pursuant to the FOI Act.

For context, the FOIA provides in Section 1, subsections (1), (2) and (3) as follows: (1) Notwithstanding anything contained in any other Act, law or regulation, the right of any person to access or request information, whether or not contained in any written form, which is in the custody or possession of any public official, agency or institution howsoever described, is established.

(2) An applicant under this Act needs not demonstrate any specific interest in the information being applied for.

(3) Any person entitled to the right to information under this Act, shall have the right to institute proceedings in the Court to compel any public institution to comply with the provisions of this Act.

The Act prescribes that the public institution [the Nigerian Army in this case] to which such a request is made “shall make the information available to the applicant within seven days”.

CONTENT OF THE EMAIL

FIJ, through the FOI email, told the army that the report of the investigation was a public document.

A screenshot of the email.

“Following the conclusion of an investigation into the sexual abuse accusations by ex-Private Ruth Ogunleye, FIJ would like to request a copy of the report of the investigation pursuant to Sections 1 and 2 of the Freedom of Information Act 2011,” the email read.

“The request is hereby submitted because the report of the Nigerian Army Corps of Military Police over the case is a public document.

“We would appreciate it if the report could be released within the period of seven days provided by the information act.”

In contravention of the law, however, the Nigerian Army had neither provided the requested information nor acknowledged the request at press time.

READ ALSO: Discharged Soldier Ruth Ogunleye Asks Army to Publish Outcome of Rape Investigation

OGUNLEYE’S REQUEST

On September 25, FIJ reported that Ogunleye publicly asked the army to publish the said report that concluded Abdulkareem, whom she claimed had raped her, was cleared.

“I want to humbly request that the Nigerian Army publish the outcome of the investigation that led to my discharge,” Ogunleye said in a TikTok video on September 24.

“On January 9, 2024, I came on social media to complain about how I.B. Abdulkareem, Brigadier General I.B. Solebo and Colonel G.S. Ogor harassed me.

“I mentioned how I was raped, how I was injected, put in a casket, how Abdulkareem pointed a gun at me, handcuffed me and kept me inside his office for days.

“I also want to beg the Nigerian Army to post the outcome of the investigation on all social media platforms to tell the world what led to my discharge.”

The army has since maintained its silence, keeping the document private.
The post Discharged Soldier: Nigerian Army Ignores FOI Request for Sexual Abuse Report appeared first on Foundation For Investigative Journalism.