Nigerian Army Should Apologize Publicly To Female Soldier Sofiyat Akinlabi Unjustly Arrested For Accepting Marriage Proposal – Omoyele Sowore

Founder and publisher of Saharareporters news online media, Omoyele Sowore has called on the Nigerian Army authority to apologize to the Female Private Soldier, Sofiyat Akinlabi who was arrested and detained for days following her public acceptance of marriage proposal from a member of the National Youth Service Corps in Kwara State.

Omoyele Sowore made the call in a statement yesterday.

OsazuwaAkonedo reports that Nigeria Constitution does not permit the Nigerian Army or any employer of Labour the right to determine for personnel or employees on choice of who, when or how to marry.

The Nigeria Constitution did not limit the power of any citizen in its provisions for freedom of willful association and liberty.

Nigeria Constitution supercedes the provisions, acts, the internal laws or rules of engagement of the Nigerian Army or any organization within the Nigeria territory.

Privileged information indicated that most organizations in Nigeria make policies on marriages so that the top ranking officers can continue to take sex advantage of the new staff most especially the female ones.

Sources from some of the organizations which opinions were sampled; said the reason organizations do give for controlling marriages among staff most especially new staff is immaterial as most staff fornicate among themselves and some of the new staff continued to sleep with their boss even when they have completed the mandatory years and now married.

This act as we gathered is making many marriages to crash in Nigeria.

Sources said early marriage by new staff helps the personnel most especially the female ones to behave more responsibly and be focused; adding, the fear of their husband most especially as member of staff of same organization helps to send fornicating top ranking officers away and give the women a good sense of protection.

Sources said top ranking officers usually take advantage of their privileged position to threaten, intimidate and oppress staff most especially the newly employed personnel to have sex with them and sleep with as many as they wish.

Some of the sources who took time to debate the issue among themselves all agreed that marriage or early marriage by new staff does not affect work but fornication or sleeping around with different senior staff or top ranking officers does result in organizations poor performance.

Omoyele Sowore said following the media reports that the Nigeria Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Faruk Yahaya has ordered the release of the female private soldier, Sofiyat Akinlabi inline with the spirit of Christmas celebration, Nigerian Army should do more by tendering public apology to the detained soldier, adding, her acceptance of marriage proposal from a corps member is legitimate.

Sowore also described her arrest as an unjust incarceration.

“We’ve now received information that the Chief of Army Staff has directed the release of Private Sofiyat Akinlabi from detention over her recent legitimate acceptance of a marriage proposal from a Youth Corps member.

“We urge the Headquarters of the Nigerian Army to apologise publicly to her for the unjust incarceration with immediate effect.

“Thanks to our citizens who stood up firmly to support the struggle to protect Sofiyat’s fundamental rights”, Omoyele Sowore said.

It would be recalled Private Sofiyat Akinlabi who publicly in military uniform accepted a marriage proposal from a National Youth Service Corps member at the National Orientation Camp in Yikpata, Kwara State as shown in a video that went viral.

Nigerian Army spokesperson, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu said the female soldier will be punished inline the rules of engagement or internal policies of the military.

Some of the rules of engagement the Nigerian Army said Private Sofiyat Akinlabi allegedly violated include: Not due for marriage, Romancing in uniform publicly, Absent from parade, Unprofessional/Indiscipline behaviour, Doing other things outside of her job description at the NYSC Camp, Disobedience to standing order of social media rule and Disregard of Nigerian Army professional ethics.