“He Drugged, Raped Me for Days,” Says Discharged Female Soldier After Colonel is Cleared by Army

Ruth Ogunleye, a former soldier who was discharged from the Nigerian Army after accusing a senior officer of sexual harassment, has come forward with shocking details of her alleged abuse. In a recent interview, Ogunleye claimed she was drugged, raped, and held against her will by Colonel I.B Abdulkareem, her commanding officer at the time.

Ogunleye, who served in the Medical Corps at the Nigerian Army Cantonment Medical Centre in Ojo, Lagos, said the abuse began shortly after she joined the unit in 2022. According to her, Colonel Abdulkareem began sending her unsolicited gifts, which she rejected. On February 27, 2022, she was summoned to meet the officer at a hotel, where he allegedly propositioned her with N50,000 and promised military school admission in exchange for sex. Ogunleye claims she refused, citing the Army’s code of conduct, which prohibits superiors from engaging in sexual relationships with subordinates.

Following her refusal, Ogunleye said the colonel became vindictive, assigning her excessive duties and subjecting her to unfair punishment. She further alleged that Abdulkareem later resorted to injecting her with largactil, a sedative typically used for mentally ill patients, to render her unconscious for days. She claims the injections were administered while she was restrained, often at gunpoint or with soldiers pinning her down.

Ogunleye detailed a harrowing pattern of abuse, including being sexually assaulted while sedated and then transported to a psychiatric hospital in a body bag. She said this occurred on multiple occasions, with soldiers coming to her home in the middle of the night to administer the drug.

The Nigerian Army has since dismissed Ogunleye’s claims as false. According to Army spokesperson Major General Onyema Nwachukwu, a thorough investigation into the allegations found no evidence to support her accusations.

Ogunleye, however, remains adamant, stating that her life was made unbearable by not just Abdulkareem but also other senior officers she had previously named on social media. Despite her discharge, she continues to seek justice and an investigation into the alleged abuses she endured.