A spokesperson for the Nigerian army said a female soldier who was filmed accepting a marriage proposal while on duty has been arrested in connection with the incident, BBC reported.
The female soldier’s partner reportedly asked for her hand in marriage during a training program in Kwara state. Following the incident, however, the army spokesperson said the soldier’s actions contravened the military’s code of conduct as she had indulged in “romance while in uniform.”
The video of the proposal reportedly showed a man kneeling before the soldier and asking for her hand in marriage. Onlookers were also seen cheering on the couple as the soldier accepted the ring.
The man who proposed to the soldier was said to be a national youth service trainee, BBC reported. Nigerians who graduate from universities and other higher-learning institutions are required to complete the government’s year-long mandatory scheme. And the Nigerian army is tasked with training the youth service personnel.
The video of the proposal was circulated on social media last week – though the date it took place is unknown. The army spokesperson said the soldier’s actions were against the military’s code of conduct and its social media policy.
“Her conduct was prejudicial to good order and military discipline,” the spokesperson told the news outlet. “[The trainers’] task was to train the youth corps members and not to indulge in amorous relationship with any of them.”
Meanwhile, the soldier’s arrest was condemned by a woman’s rights group who alleged the military’s actions were discriminatory. The group claimed male soldiers who had partaken “in a public display of amorous relationships in full military uniform” had not met the same fate as their female counterparts.
Omoyele Sowore, a human rights activist who once vied for Nigeria’s presidency, also labeled the military’s actions as “misogynistic.”
