Faith Nyasuguta
In Nigeria, a female soldier has been arrested for accepting a marriage proposal while on duty, an army mouthpiece has said .
According to the spokesman, she had breached the military’s code of conduct by “indulging in romance while in uniform”, he added.
A last week video emerged showing the soldier accepting a ring from a man kneeling in front of her, as beholders shared in their joy.
Following the arrest, a women’s rights group has accused the military of discriminating against her.
The Women Empowerment and Legal Aid group said a similar action had not been taken against male soldiers involved “in a public display of amorous relationships in full military uniform.”
At the same time, Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist that doubles as an ex-Nigerian presidential candidate decried the army’s decision and dubbed it “misogynistic“.
The soldier is reported to have accepted the marriage proposal from a trainee in the government’s youth training scheme, referred to as the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC).
As it is the norm, graduates from universities among other institutions of higher learning get instruction from the army as part of a year-long mandatory scheme.
The trainee made the marriage proposal during a training programme in western Kwara state.
It is still not clear when the proposal took place but the video surfaced last week. On social media, users congratulated the couple, and lauded the man for proposing. Others teased the soldier.
According to army spokesman Gen Clement Nwachukwu, the soldier had flouted the military’s code of conduct, including its social media policy.
“Her conduct was prejudicial to good order and military discipline”
“[The trainers’] task was to train the youth corps members and not to indulge in amorous relationships with any of them,” Gen Nwachukwu added.
The NYSC is yet to comment.
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