A 39-years-old, female soldier, Lance Corporal Philomena Nnamoko, has explained how her experience as a female military officer, discouraged her from the job.
According to her in a recent interview, with Saturday Punch, she escaped attempted rape and termination in the guardroom of Ibadan barracks, in Oyo State.
She was later sent out of Ibadan barracks to rehab in 2010.
Nnamoko, a single mother, who hails from Enugu State said she joined the military in 2009 due to lack of a job after her husband died.
She said “I hail from Enugu State. At 39, I am a single mother to a 23-year-old son. Joining the Army in 2009 was driven by the loss of my husband to provide for my son. I had no other job opportunities and lacked the funds to improve my situation.
“Unfortunately, my experience in the Army has been extremely bad. I faced termination and abuse while stationed in Ibadan, where I experienced an attempted rape in the guardroom. The frustration became too much and I was sent out of Ibadan barracks and for rehab the following day in 2010.
“On May 29, 2018. I approached a fellow soldier to greet him when I went to use the toilet at night, but I received no response and mentioned his name to inform him that I had greeted him. In response, he asked me to greet him properly and expressed his unwillingness to respond to female soldiers. I informed him that we harboured no animosity, but he harboured a desire to physically harm me. This took place in the evening when there were no witnesses.
“It was at this time that I excused myself to use the restroom. Upon exiting, I noticed someone by the door; he then proceeded to warn me against repeating my actions. I felt ashamed and suffocated, leading to punishment. At that moment, a colleague intervened and informed him of my ill health. He beat me so harshly that my wrapper fell off, leaving only my pants.”
