Nigerian Army to try female soldier who accepted male corp member’s proposal

The Nigerian Army is set to try Private Sofiyat Akinlabi, a female soldier who accepted the marriage proposal of a corp member at the NYSC orientation camp in Kwara state.

A top source in the military told The Punch on Thursday, Dec. 23 that Akinlabi will be tried for unprofessional conduct including violation of military laws regarding social media and fraternisation with a trainee – a corper.

Also, the NYSC Director-General, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Shuaibu, at a briefing in Abuja on December 21, 2021, said though the scheme “encourage(s) them to inter-marry, we have never had a situation where a corps member will go and propose to a soldier.”

He also said that the military won’t joke with its traditions.

When asked by The Punch if the female soldier has been released, the military source, who craved anonymity, revealed that Akinlabi will be tried in line with extant military laws.

The military source said; “She is going to go through summary trial because the offences she committed is not a grievous offence that will attract court-martial.

“During her trial, if she is able to prove that she was not the one who did that (posted on social media), they might overlook it but if she had not violated the military laws by fraternising with the corper, that wouldn’t have happened.

“During the trial, before the commanding officer who is the judge, if she is able to prove herself as not guilty, the judge will pronounce her innocent.”

He also said the disciplinary action that would be taken against Akinlabi would depend on whether she was a first-time offender or not.

“A lot of things will come into play when she is being tried. The commanding officer will consider whether she has been a person of good character before now or otherwise,” the source said.

He added that the camp commandment at the NYSC camp will also be interrogated for allowing the fraternisation to take place under his nose.

Meanwhile, human rights activists Funmi Falana, Omoyele Sowore, Deji Adeyanju continue to demand the release the detainee.