Kaduna Court Sentences Former Soldier Ruth Ogunleye Over TikTok Videos About NDA Commandant

• A Kaduna court fined former soldier Ruth Ogunleye ₦500,000 over TikTok posts about the Nigerian Defence Academy commandant and set conditions for suspending her prison sentence.

The Federal High Court in Kaduna has convicted former Nigerian soldier Ruth Ogunleye on two counts over TikTok publications concerning the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy, Major General Oluyemi Thomas Olatoye.

Justice Rilwanu Aikawa fined Ogunleye ₦250,000 on each count, bringing the total to ₦500,000. He also imposed a one-year prison term on each count and ordered the terms to run concurrently. The court suspended the custodial sentence for three years under a plea bargain, subject to conditions that include a public apology, the deletion of the posts and a lifetime undertaking concerning the senior military officer.

How the TikTok case began

The Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu, initially filed five counts against Ogunleye over videos circulated through her TikTok account on or about August 14, 2026.

The prosecution accused her of knowingly publishing false allegations against Olatoye with the intent to cause annoyance, insult, injury, hatred, ill will and damage to his reputation.

One count concerned a video captioned “Maj General Yemi Olatoye is responsible for my death”, in which Ogunleye allegedly displayed the officer’s photograph. Another concerned a publication captioned “I go post your oga own too, your oga own dey my phone,” in which she allegedly referred to the NDA commandant.

The original charge sheet also contained allegations that Ogunleye claimed to possess intimate photographs of the officer and threatened to publish material concerning him.

The police brought the charges under Section 24(1)(b) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Act 2015, as amended in 2024. Ogunleye pleaded guilty to Counts One and Two, and the prosecution agreed to withdraw Counts Three, Four and Five.

What the court ordered Ogunleye to do

The plea bargain, filed under Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015, requires Ogunleye to demonstrate remorse and undertake to avoid similar conduct.

She must publish an apology in two national daily newspapers within 14 days of sentencing. Counsel to Olatoye must approve the wording of the apology.

Within 48 hours of her release from custody, Ogunleye must delete posts and videos concerning Olatoye from TikTok and any other accounts she controls. The agreement also bars her from republishing the material or sharing it with anyone.

Ogunleye gave a lifetime undertaking to refrain from making further statements about Olatoye or contacting him directly or indirectly. The restrictions cover spoken comments, text messages, social media posts and communications made through other people or under different names or accounts.

Justice Aikawa asked Ogunleye whether she understood and accepted the terms. She confirmed that she did and consented to a restraining order under Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act. The order remains in force until the court directs otherwise. Her defence counsel, I.S. Yahaya, endorsed the agreement.

If the court determines that Ogunleye breached the relevant conditions during the three-year suspension period, it could order her to serve the suspended prison term. The lifetime undertaking continues beyond that period.

How the parties reached a plea bargain

Mohammed Sani Katu, SAN, who represented Olatoye, said Ogunleye’s lawyer approached the prosecution to negotiate a resolution. The parties agreed that Ogunleye would plead guilty to two counts and the prosecution would withdraw the other three.

“She pleaded guilty last week, and the matter was adjourned until today for parties to file what we call the plea bargain terms,” he said.

Katu said the court imposed the fine on each of the two counts and that a breach of the agreed conditions could bring Ogunleye back before the court.

“Now, the sentence is suspended for three years so that we can put her under observation to see whether she will be remorseful. If within these three years she violates these terms, she will be brought back to serve the sentence,” he said.

Ogunleye’s earlier dispute with the Army

Ogunleye drew public attention in January 2024 after accusing Colonel I.B. Abdulkareem of sexual harassment. She also accused Abdulkareem, Colonel G.S. Ogor and Brigadier General I.B. Solebo of intimidation and other forms of alleged mistreatment after she rejected what she described as unwanted sexual advances.

She said she sought help from several senior officers, including General Christopher Gwabin Musa, who was then Chief of Defence Staff.

“I sought intervention from people like General C. G. Musa, the current Chief of Defence Staff. I told him. I told so many officers. I sought redress but nothing was done because he is my senior, and nobody was ready to give me a listening ear,” she said in September 2024.

The Nigerian Army said its investigation found no evidence to substantiate the sexual harassment allegation against Abdulkareem. The Army also said Ogunleye was discharged on medical grounds following medical assessments.

In October 2024, Ogunleye called for a review of the findings, saying she believed the investigation’s conclusions might have been tampered with. She also raised concerns about the effect of the case on her reputation.

Ogunleye was later taken from Lagos to Kaduna, where she was held pending trial in the TikTok case. The two counts to which she pleaded guilty concerned her August 2026 publications about Olatoye.