60 Nigerian soldiers including 2 corporals, 9 Lance corporals and 49 privates who refused to partake in an operation in Maiduguri on August 4th will be arraigned before a military court today Sept. 30th at the Sani Abacha barracks in Abuja for committing two offenses, conspiring to mutiny and mutiny.
According to the charge sheet, on August 4th the soldiers had refused to join the “111 SF Bn troops” led by Col E. A. Aladeniyi to Maimalari Barracks for an operation, thereby committing an offence tagged “conspiring to mutiny” against the authority of the division, an offence punishable under Section 91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P89 LFN 2004 as well as outright mutiny which is punishable under Section 52(1)(a) of the AFA CAP A20 LFN 2004.
The charges are said to be triable in the GCM under Section 114 of the AFA Cap A20 LFN 2004 and punishable under Section 91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P89 LFN 2004.
The soldiers to face trial today include; Andrew Ogolekwu, Saturday Efa, Henry Shaibu, James Maifada, Ndubuisi Sabestine, Dauda Dalhatu, Kasega Aoso, Mallam Jacob, Nwonu Friday, Joshua Friday, Anthony Simeon, Olayode Oluwasegun, Tijani Jimoh, Kabiru Abubakar, Mamud Sywasan, James Emmanuel, Mulaika Musa, Magaji Amadu, Amao Bukola, Wuyep John, Oti Kelvin, Ameh Mathew, Olaitan Joseph and others.
Meanwhile a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Chief Godwin Obla, is working towards appealing the death sentence handed to some of the 12 soldiers on September 12th. The Senior Advocate in a telephone interview with Punch however said the inability of the military to disclose the whereabouts of the sentenced soldiers to him is stalling the process of the appeal as they are needed to sign some document before he can go further with their appeal.
“We have been trying to get them (the soldiers) to sign for the process; and because we have not been able to get them, we have not been able to complete the process; there are things for them to sign. Nobody has been able to tell us where they are being kept; nobody is volunteering information; nobody has been able to tell us where they are. We are just hearing that they have been moved to the Directorate of Military Intelligence Cell in Lagos. We will make the move so that the process would be filed on their behalf.โ he said
Source: Punch
