Female soldiers’ unending battle with depression, abandonment after rejecting randy superiors
Godfrey George writes about the allegations of sexual harassment in Nigeria’s military
As a child, Toochi (surname withheld) had a masculine gait that made heads turn whenever she walked. At 14, an aunt who had recently retired from the Nigerian Air Force advised her to join the military. She got the application forms for recruitment into the army, navy, and airforce but could not get in her first attempt.
After three trials, she eventually was recruited into the army and was to attend the training school, but that was the beginning of her ordeal.
Her dad had fallen sick three weeks before she was invited to camp for training. Her mum, still mourning, told her to shelve the idea of joining the army. Toochi said her mother had not been in support.
My mother was particular about the training because the place I was to resume was far from our home in Abia State.
“As an only daughter in a home of four boys, my mother made sure to discourage me, especially after my father’s death. But, I really wanted to make everyone proud. I knew I would do well in the force. I had the energy. I had the height. I had all it took and I had an aunt to look up to. It was not a hard decision to make.
“After much in-fighting, my mother reluctantly gave me her blessings and I left. I didn’t even attend my dad’s burial because I was still in camp,” she said.
Toochi said the training was held in one of the states in the North, adding that the day she arrived was the day her problem began.
“I had shaved my hair, according to the instructions we received and I was fully ready to begin my journey in the force. I thought it would be an exciting ride because it was what I had always wanted to do.
“But, I was shocked when an officer approached me, asking me to be his ‘baby’,” she said.
She said she did not understand what it was but confided in a friend in camp who told her that the same officer had also approached her and several other girls in the camp.
“I was still very young and was ready to take the world by storm but this man wanted to destroy my life. He kept on applying pressure and when I was adamant, he started to intentionally punish me.
“The mistake I made was to report him to another superior officer. They both made the camp a living hell for me. I spent most of my time serving different punishments and not the main reason I was there, which was to train and become better.
“I slept in the mud, rolled on the floor, sat facing the sun and I almost lost my sight from not sleeping enough. But, there was really nothing I could do. The other girls, I learnt, who refused to give in also went through something similar or even worse.
“I can tell you for a fact that most of the officers are really cruel,” she said.
To make matters worse, Toochi said when she eventually concluded her training, she was posted to work as an administrative assistant under the same man whom she had accused of abusing her.
“When I saw my letter, I cried for hours. I was confused. I told another soldier (name withheld) and she told me that she had been posted to the infantry.
“Working with that man was like working for the devil. The two years I spent there were the worst in my life. I told myself that I would leave. I tried confiding in a senior female officer and she told me that there was nothing she could do.
“She even advised me to ‘keep it down’ if I really wanted to stay,” she added.
Threats, resignation
Toochi told Saturday PUNCH that she received a phone call from her boss one night, threatening to deal with her if she kept on being adamant. At that point, she said she was fed up and decided to resign.
That, too, was another struggle, as her letters, according to her, were torn three times by her superior.
A military source told our correspondent that resigning from the Nigerian Army must take a formal process that female soldiers must follow.
The source explained that while the specific procedures might vary slightly depending on individual circumstances and the policies in place at the time, the general process typically involved notification to a chain of command, submission of resignation letter, processing of resignation, exit interview and clearance, approval of resignation and transition to civilian life.
For notification to the chain of command, the source said, “The first step for a female soldier wishing to resign from the Nigerian Army is to notify her immediate superior officer of her intention to resign. This notification should be made in writing and submitted through the proper channels as prescribed by military regulations.”
The military source also noted that the soldier in question must formally submit a resignation letter to her commanding officer or the appropriate authority within her unit or formation.
“The resignation letter should clearly state the soldier’s intention to resign from the army and specify the effective date of resignation. The letter should be addressed to the appropriate military authority and include the soldier’s name, rank, service number, and contact information.
“Upon receipt of the resignation letter, the military authorities will initiate the process of verifying the soldier’s request and determining the eligibility for resignation. This may involve conducting administrative checks, verifying the soldier’s service record, and ensuring that all necessary documentation is in order”, the source said.
