Army Chief Orders Release Of Female Soldier Detained For Accepting Corps Member’s Proposal

Lieutenant-General Faruk Yahaya, the Chief of Army Staff, has ordered the release of Private Hannah Sofiat Akinlabi, a female soldier, who was detained for accepting the marriage proposal of a male corps member of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).

Military sources at the army headquarters confirmed the directive, according to the Punch.

A video went viral last week showing a male corps member proposing to a female soldier, identified as Private Sofiyat Akinlabi, at the Kwara NYSC camp in Yikpata, Kwara State.

The soldier was visibly delighted and accepted the young graduate’s proposal to the applause of other corps members at the parade ground.

Although the video generated a largely positive reaction, the Nigerian Army detained the female soldier, saying she violated the Nigerian Army’s rules and regulations guiding the codes of conduct of military personnel when deployed for duty.

However, the aforementioned newspaper quoted military sources as saying that the Chief of Army Staff intervened and asked that Akinlabi should be pardoned, noting that the decision was taken in the spirit of Christmas.

The female soldier had been warned and reprimanded for breaching the extant rule guiding the conduct of military personnel, the source added.

Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu, the Director of Army Public Relations, confirmed the development.

“What you are being told is correct,” he told the newspaper.