The Nigerian Army says he is punishing a female soldier who became involved in a National Youth Services Corps (NYSC) Orientation Camp for disobeying its rules and code of conduct.
Army spokesman Onyema Nwachukwu revealed this in response to a PREMIUM TIMES query on Sunday.
A video of a male corps member proposing to a female soldier at the NYSC Yikpata Orientation Camp in Kwara State recently appeared online and went viral.
In one of the video clips, members of the corps are seen having a discussion in a location believed to be the parade ground of the orientation camp.
The discussion still continues as the yet to be identified corps member, seen holding a ring, kneels down and asks the soldier the question and the lady accepts the proposal.
The corps member continues to insert the ring onto the finger of the visibly excited soldier amid cheers from others on the scene.
In another clip, the couple is seen sharing loving moments. The corps member is seen wearing the lady’s military cap as she stands directly behind him.
Thereafter, they share a kiss to the delight of other members of the corps filming the incident.
After the incident, there were reports that the soldier had been detained by the Army, an action that has since received widespread condemnation on social media.
Fraternization
In her reaction, Nwachukwu said that it is an act of indiscipline for a trainer to get involved in an affair with her trainee.
He described the act of fraternization in military terms.
He further said that it is an act of gross misconduct for a staff member to engage in an affair while in uniform.
“The Nigerian Army has Codes of Conduct, Rules and regulations that guide our personnel whenever and wherever they are deployed for service.
“We have ethics, customs and traditions, which have the force of law and are enforceable as such. These are intended to guide service personnel and better position them to efficiently execute the critical, burdensome, and constantly dangerous profession of arms.
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“The female soldier in question violated the following NA rules. First, the fraternization during official service at the NYSC camp. That is, indulging in a loving relationship with an apprentice.
“Second, a staff member must have worked for three years before they can qualify for marriage.
“Third, it disobeyed the current Nigerian Armed Forces directives and directives for the use of social media.
Fourth, indulging in romance while in uniform, and fifth, his conduct was detrimental to good order and military discipline. All of the above, if proven, violates current laws with the consequent disciplinary and criminal implications.
“As a staff, his job was to train the members of the youth corps and not allow himself a romantic relationship with any of them,” he said.
Nwachukwu said public perception would have been different if a male soldier had proposed to an apprentice, adding that (the public) would have seen it as an advantage.
“These rules were established for the purpose of proper administration and discipline in the Army. If I may ask, what if the soldier was a man? How would the public have perceived your action? It would definitely have been perceived as taking advantage of a corper woman, an apprentice, put under his charge for training.
“The same applies here. The Nigerian army, like all the others, has its disciplinary codes, different from those of society in general. All staff have voluntarily agreed to be bound by this code, “he added.