The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has spoken on the decision taken by the Nigerian Army to detain a female soldier, Private Hannah Sofiat, who accepted a marriage proposal from a corps member, at the NYSC orientation camp in Yikpata, Kwara State.
The NYSC Director-General, Brig-Gen Shuaibu Ibrahim, stated that although the youth service encouraged inter-tribal marriages, the army was a strong institution that was founded on the basis of discipline.
He stated this while addressing a press conference on Tuesday.
The NYSC DG said, “Every organisation has its own customs and traditions, and we have to abide by such.
“We, on our part, have spoken to our corps members. We encourage them to inter-marry, but we have never had a situation where a corps member will go and propose to a soldier.
“The army has its own tradition and it will not joke with it. So, we always tell our corps members to play by the rules.
“I can assure that the army as an institution is built on its customs and traditions, and anything that will impinge on discipline, it will not take it lightly.”
There have been calls from several human rights’ activists, lawyers and groups nationwide to respect the fundamental rights of the female soldier and to release her from detention.
Despite the national outrage, the Nigerian Army characteristically has refused to yield to the demands for Sofiat’s release and has continued to hold her in detention.
