A 39-year-old female soldier, Lance Corporal Philomena Nnamoko, has cried out about feeling so much pain, pleading with the Nigerian Army to discharge her from service.
Nnamoko, currently serving in Ilese Barracks, Ijebu Ode, Ogun State, alleged she is psychologically imbalanced and losing her mind.
In an interview with PUNCH, the female soldier claimed she had written over ten letters to authorities seeking voluntary discharge, but nothing has been done on her case.
She said, “I am gradually losing my mind, I am psychologically imbalanced, and people are saying they want to book me for AWOL. I cannot go through that torture again. I want to leave the service.
“The pain is too much. I want to be discharged from this job.
“The last letter I wrote was on December 11, 2022, and the last batch of those discharged was on July 28, 2023, but my name was not there. Even those who had just written theirs and submitted it in January and February were discharged.
“I have written more than ten letters to the Army asking for a voluntary discharge, but I have not been considered. I don’t know what I have done.”
Counsel for Nnamoko, Kayode Oshiyemi, said his client is going through emotional trauma, and the refusal of the Nigerian Army to give her a voluntary exit remains a mystery to them.
He said, “She is currently going through an emotional trauma. She has written three letters since after the first publication by The PUNCH on this matter. But why she is not being discharged is still a mystery to us.
“Let them let her go, she wants to leave the service. She comes to my office crying every day. Please, let the Army discharge her freely, she wants out.”
Speaking on the issue, the Director of Army Public Relations, Brig. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said there are terms and conditions regarding discharge.
He said, “The Nigerian Army is not an Army of conscription. There are terms and conditions of service guiding the enlistment or commissioning, period of service and even discharge or retirement of personnel of the Nigerian Army. Once the personnel concerned meets these provisions for discharge or retirement, it will be approved.”
Also reacting, the spokesperson for the 81 Division, Nigerian Army, Major Olaniyi Osoba, said, “Tell the female soldier to call me. I want to hear from her.”
