Court Sentences Former Soldier to Two Years Over Defamatory TikTok Videos Against NDA Commandant
Court Sentences Former Soldier to Two Years Over Defamatory TikTok Videos Against NDA Commandant
The Federal High Court in Kaduna has convicted former soldier Ruth Ogunleye over defamatory TikTok videos against the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Major General Oluyemi Thomas Olatoye.
Justice Rilwanu Aikawa sentenced her to two years in prison but suspended the sentence for three years. She was also fined ₦500,000 after pleading guilty to two of the five charges filed against her.
The court ordered her to publish an apology in two national newspapers within 14 days, delete the videos and refrain from contacting or publishing further materials about the Commandant.
Her lawyer warned that violating the court’s conditions could lead to her serving the suspended jail term.
Ogunleye previously made headlines after publicly accusing Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem of sexual harassment and alleging that other senior officers failed to protect her after she complained about his conduct.
Among the officers she accused of failing to act on her complaints was General Christopher Gwabin Musa (Rtd.), who was then the Chief of Defence Staff and is now Nigeria’s Minister of Defence.
In January 2024, she publicly accused Abdulkareem, Colonel G.S. Ogor and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo of intimidation and other forms of alleged maltreatment after she rejected what she described as unwanted sexual advances.
The Nigerian Army subsequently investigated her allegations and said it found no evidence to substantiate the sexual harassment claims against Abdulkareem. The Army also maintained that Ogunleye was discharged from service on medical grounds following medical assessments.
In October 2024, Ogunleye appealed for a review of her case, saying she believed someone might have tampered with the investigation’s findings. She also expressed concern about the stigma surrounding the case and its implications for her reputation.
