The Federal High Court in Kaduna has convicted former Nigerian Army personnel, Ruth Ogunleye, over TikTok publications concerning the Commandant of the Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA), Major General Oluyemi Thomas Olatoye.
Justice Rilwanu Aikawa delivered the judgment on Tuesday, November 10, 2026, after Ogunleye pleaded guilty to two of the five counts filed against her by the Inspector-General of Police, Olatunji Rilwan Disu.
The court sentenced her to one year imprisonment on each of the two counts, with the terms to run concurrently. She was also ordered to pay a fine of ₦250,000 per count, bringing the total to ₦500,000.
However, the judge suspended the custodial sentence for three years under a plea bargain agreement reached between the prosecution and the defendant pursuant to Section 270 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015.
The case arose from videos allegedly published on Ogunleye’s TikTok account, @ogunleyeruthsavage, on or around August 14, 2026. The publications contained statements directed at Olatoye, including captions such as, “Maj General Yemi Olatoye is responsible for my death” and “I go post your oga own too, your oga own dey my phone.”
The five-count charge was filed after police investigations into the publications. Reports on the proceedings indicate that Ogunleye was arrested in Lagos on September 12, moved to Kaduna the following day and remanded in custody before the charges were filed on October 5.
Under the plea bargain agreement, Ogunleye admitted guilt to Counts One and Two, while the prosecution agreed to withdraw Counts Three, Four and Five following her conviction.
The agreement also imposed several conditions on the defendant. She is required to pay the ₦500,000 fine to the Federal Republic of Nigeria and publish a public apology in two national newspapers within 14 days of sentencing. The wording of the apology must be approved by counsel to the nominal complainant.
She was further directed to delete all related TikTok videos and posts within 48 hours of her release from custody and refrain from making further statements or publications concerning the NDA Commandant, whether directly or through another person.
The agreement also prohibits her from contacting Olatoye directly or indirectly and from republishing, sharing or circulating the disputed materials.
The court confirmed that Ogunleye accepted the terms of the plea bargain and consented to a restraining order under Section 24 of the Cybercrimes Act, which will remain in force until further order of the court. Her defence counsel, I.S. Yahaya, also endorsed the agreement.
Speaking after the judgment, Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mohammed Sani Katu, counsel to the nominal complainant, said the plea bargain followed an approach by the defendant’s lawyer to resolve the matter without proceeding through a full trial.
Katu explained that the suspended prison sentence was not an outright cancellation of the punishment. He said any established breach of the conditions during the three-year suspension period could lead to Ogunleye being brought back before the court to serve the custodial sentence.
He also said the undertaking not to contact or publish material concerning the complainant would remain binding beyond the three-year suspension period.
The conviction relates specifically to the two counts to which Ogunleye pleaded guilty. It should not be interpreted as a judicial determination of every other allegation she may previously have made against military personnel.
The judgment brings the criminal proceedings over the disputed TikTok publications to a conclusion through a negotiated plea agreement, with Ogunleye required to comply with the court-approved conditions to avoid activation of the suspended prison sentence.
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