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Activist, Adeyanju Condemns Detention of Female Soldier In Marriage Proposal Viral Video, Calls for Her Immediate Release

December 20, 2021

Sofiat has been detained by the army authorities since the incident and they have vowed to punish her.

Human rights activist, Adeyanju Deji, has lambasted the Nigerian Army for the continued detention of Private Hannah Sofiat, who accepted a marriage proposal from a male corps member at the National Youth Service Corps Orientation Camp in Yikpata, Kwara State.

Sofiat has been detained by the army authorities since the incident and they have vowed to punish her.

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The Nigerian Army had said the female soldier would be punished for violating military rules and regulations.

The Director of Army Public Relations, Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, had stated that the female officer violated military laws by getting involved in a public display of amorous relationship with a paramilitary trainee – a corps member.

 

"Such gross violation of human right, abuse of power and excessive use of force is absolutely uncalled for and condemnable,” Adeyanju said.

 

He further called for the immediate release of the detained female soldier, saying failure to do so would spark national and global outrage.

 

SaharaReporters had on December 19 reported that human rights activist, Omoyele Sowore, called for the immediate release of the female soldier.

 

“#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,” Sowore had said.

 

SaharaReporters had identified the female soldier as Private Hannah Sofiat A. She was detained after video clips of her being proposed to by a male corps member at the National Youth Service Corps orientation camp in Yikpata, Kwara State, went viral on social media.

 

SaharaReporters had reported that the female soldier was ordered to be detained by Captain M. M. Abdulahi, Kwara State NYSC Camp Commandant at a military detention facility in Ilorin pending further investigations.

Meanwhile, the army has charged Sofiat with seven counts of misconduct.

A military source said she was detained for not “due for marriage, romancing on uniform publicly, absent on parade, indiscriminate behaviour, doing other things aside from her purpose in NYSC camp, disobedience to the standing order of social media rule and disobedience to ethics and tradition of the Nigerian Army.”

 

In one of the trending video clips, some corps members were seen discussing a venue believed to be the parade ground of the orientation camp.

 

The discussion was still on when the yet-to-be-identified corps member, who is seen holding a ring, went down on one knee and popped the question to the soldier with the lady accepting the proposal.

 

The corps member then went on to put the ring on the finger of the visibly excited Sofiat amid cheers from others at the scene.