The Nigerian Army has explained why it arrested and detained a female soldier who accepted a proposal from a male corps member at the Yikpata orientation camp of the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in Kwara State.
TheNiche had earlier reported that the open display of affection happened at the Passing Out Parade of Batch B, Stream 2 of the 2021 Corp Members last week.
In one of the now-viral videos seen by TheNiche, the yet-to-be-identified corps member is seen holding a ring.
He knelt to propose amid cheers and applause from other corps members in the background.
The female soldier, accepting the proposal, got the ring fixed on her finger while they both sealed the romantic display with a kiss much to the delight of other corps members recording the incident.
Mixed reactions trailed the soldier’s arrest.
Nigerian Army spokesman Brigadier General Onyema Nwachukwu said the now detained-female officer violated extant military laws by getting involved in a public display of relationship with a paramilitary trainee – a corps member.
He explained that the female officer violated the Nigerian Army’s rules and regulations guiding the codes of conduct of military personnel when deployed for duty.
According to him, the female soldier violated some rules of the Nigerian Army, including indulging in an amorous relationship with a trainee; indulging in romance while in uniform; disobeying the Armed Forces standing guidelines and directives for the use of social media, among others.
Nevertheless, some Nigerians have condemned the Army for arresting the female officer.
Activist Yele Sowore said the Nigerian Army was wrong to detain the female soldier for accepting marriage proposal in uniform since it is not an offence in the military.
“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,” he said.
A tweet from @Nnemere_Ezeoka said: “If you check well…I believe there’s some of her ogas at the top that have eyes on her already…cos I see nothing wrong in accepting a marriage proposal while on duty.”
@Eyebrow23708154 said: “Perhaps her commander is angry at her after making advances. Na Naija we dey. It’s common for abuse of power so sad!!!”