The Nation Newspaper

Tag: mutiny

  • Mutiny: 12 Soldiers only spoke truth to power

    Mutiny: 12 Soldiers only spoke truth to power

    SIR: This is certainly not the best of times for the Nigerian military. It has continued to remain in the news for the very wrong and bizarre reasons. It is either the “late”? Abubakar ‘lunatic’ Shekau-led Boko Haram group is forcing its officers to consider a ‘tactical manouvre’ into Cameroun borders or officers within the force are engaging each other in needless internal bickering. As things presently are, our entire military set up appears to have lost the verve and patriotic bent to meaningfully prosecute the insurgency.

    The military is presently enmeshed in another round of fresh controversy. Just last week, the media reported the shocking verdict of a court martial that tried 18 military officers for allegedly attacking Major General Ahmed Mohammed, the General Officer Commanding of the 7th Division, Maiduguri over the mindless killing of their colleagues by insurgents. Delivering the judgment, leader of the court martial, Brigadier General Chukwuemeka Okonkwo, sentenced 12 of the 18 officers to death by firing squad. Expectedly, the verdict elicited loads of reactions, with many queuing behind the ‘condemned’ military officers.

    These men truly don’t deserve to die. Their action only drew global attention to the chronic stench, endemic rot, mega fraud and cesspool of corruption that the Nigerian military has become. Their action exposed a military where its top brass feed fat on its budget, sell arms and ammunitions to insurgents and arms its junior officers with dane guns to confront heavily armed insurgents.

    Frankly speaking, those presiding over the affairs of the entire military make-up in Nigeria are the very problem bedeviling the institution. These same elements are chiefly responsible for why the war on terror isn’t recording spectacular success as expected. The surest way to meaningfully take this war against terror to the bedroom of Abubakar Shekau (we learnt he’s dead?) and his fellow lunatics is to wield the big stick on the military’s top brass. Certainly, some of them should be shown the next available exit route. The nation cannot continue to shoulder the enormous wage bill of trained military officers who cannot live up to the task of stoutly defending the territorial integrity of Nigeria.

    Before either the President or the head of the military signs the death warrant of these soldiers, Nigerians and indeed the world request that the army’s top echelon should first and foremost subject itself to public scrutiny. Those who wish to go to equity must keep their hands clean. The military’s top brass should tell us in unambiguous terms how they have been expending the huge yearly budget approved for the entire military. We expect them to give detailed account of how they have spent or managed the money. It is only after then that they can go ahead to approve the firing of these men accused of committing insurrection.

    I keep saying this. The alleged attack on Major General Ahmed Mohammed wasn’t a premeditated one. The said soldiers were only helpless and frustrated. They felt the system deliberately ordered them to the war front without first and foremost providing them with all they needed to prosecute the war.

    This is one case that most Nigerians won’t want to see it go the way of others. These guys weren’t conscripted into the Nigerian Army. They willingly applied to serve their fatherland, with the hopes that our country will be better for it at the end. Unfortunately, instead of getting medals, cash rewards or national honour for service to fatherland, the same country has concluded plans to end their lives rather prematurely by facing the firing squad should their appeal fails to scale through.

    You cannot beat a child and expect him not to cry. We sent them to the war front with dane guns and expect them to crush Boko Haram in one fell swoop. These 12 military men only spoke truth to power and nothing more.

    • Abdullahi Yunusa

    Imane, Kogi State

  • Falana urges military to commute death sentence

    Falana urges military to commute death sentence

    Lagos lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN) has urged the military authority not to confirm the death sentence passed on the 12 soldiers for mutiny and other offences.

    He urged the military authority to commute the death sentence passed on the soldiers  to imprisonment in the interest of Justice.

    The 12 soldiers are among 18 soldiers arraigned for mutiny for firing shots at the General Officer Commanding of 7th division of Nigerian Army, Major General Ahmed Mohammed on May 14, 2014 in Maiduguri.
    The convicts were found guilty of criminal conspiracy, mutiny, attempt to commit murder, insubordination to a particular order and false accusation.

    The General Court Martial which tried the group of 18 soldiers for mutinous acts had passed death sentence on 12 of them, jailed one for 28 days with hard labour and discharged and acquitted five of the charges preferred against them.

    However, if the death sentence of the Maiduguri 12 is confirmed by the Army Council,  Falana advised the convicted soldiers  to take the case to the Court of Appeal.
    Falana remarked that the Court of Appeal is likely to follow its decision in the case of Yussuf and 21 others  versus Nigerian Army (2003) 36 WRN 68 “wherein the sentence of life imprisonment passed on the appellants who had  rioted at the Cairo Airport in Egypt was quashed.

    “It was the finding of the Court that the offense of mutiny complained of by the respondent was instigated by the  officers who had diverted the medical allowances which ought to have been paid to the convicts while receiving medical treatment in Egypt”, he stated.
    The erudite lawyer argued that the facts and circumstance of the mutinous act of the convicted soldiers should be taken into consideration.
    Before the incident the soldiers at the Maimalari cantonment had complained of insufficient ammunition, food and allowances.
    The visit of the GOC was said to have coincided with the arrival of the corpses of soldiers killed in an ambush in Chibok on the night of May 13, 2014.
    It was the tragic situation which reportedly infuriated the soldiers.
    Having investigated and confirmed the circumstances which led to the mutiny in question the military authorities removed the GOC.
    Falana pointed out that while mutiny cannot be condoned by the armed forces because it strikes at the foundation of discipline in the military, he emphasised that  the 18 soldiers were erroneously charged under section 52(1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.

    In the circumstance, the 12 convicts should have been charged under section 52(2) of the Armed Forces Act which provides for life imprisonment.

    He noted that the General Officer Commanding whose car was shot at was not killed.

    He said this explained why the soldiers were charged with attempted murder which does not attract the death penalty.

    The lawyer recalled that in  the case of the Akure 27, the convicted soldiers were equally charged with mutiny but convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.

    He said the Army Council reduced the sentence of life imprisonment to seven  years and later pardoned the convicts.
    He recalled that the fact that the allowances of the convicts who had served in Liberia were diverted by some military officers was taken into cognizance by the Army Council and informed the mitigation of their sentence.

  • 12 Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny

    12 Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny

    The military authorities  Tuesday  morning sentenced 12 soldiers to death for mutiny.
    The soldiers were charged with six count of criminal conspiracy to commit mutiny, disobeying lawful orders and various acts said to be inimical to the military service.
    The nine-member all military Court Martial, also found the soldiers guilty of insubordinate behaviour, use of abusive language, leveling false accusation against their superior officers, among others.

    They were similarly found guilty of attempting to kill their erstwhile General Officer Commanding 7 Division, Major General Ahmed Mohammed by shooting at his official car, between May 13 and 14, 2014. The car was bullet proof.

    The incident took place at the Maimalari Barracks, Maiduguri in the course of the ongoing counter insurgency campaign.
    The court also found them guilty of preventing the movement of some of their injured colleagues to hospital and obstructing evacuation of their dead ones who were killed in ambush on their way from an operation in Chibok, Borno State.
    Those to die are: Cpl. Jasper Braidolor, David Musa, Friday Onu, Yusuf Shuaibu, Emmanuel Igomu, Andrew Ngbede, Nurudeen Ahmed, Ifeanyi Alukhagbe, Alao Samuel, Amadi Chukwudi, Alan Linus and Stephen Clement.
    Jeremiah Ichocho, who was found guilty of Absence Without Official Leave (AWOL) was sentenced to two years without labour.
    Five were discharged and acquitted, having been found not guilty by the court.
    The court said the sentences were subject to confirmation by higher authorities and acknowledged the right of the soldiers, who pleaded not guilty to most of the charges, to appeal the judgment.
    The court was presided over by Brig. Gen. CC Okwonkwo.

     

    Other members of the court are: Col. TS Nurseman, Col. TO Olowomeye, Col. IG Lassa, Lt.Col. JK Feboke, Lt. Col. CR Nnebeife, Major I Yusuf, Major TA Yakubu and Major AE Martins.
    Lt. Col. AA Audu and Lt. Col. U Ukpe served as prosecutors.
  • No mutiny in Maimalari barracks – Defence Headquarters

    No mutiny in Maimalari barracks – Defence Headquarters

    Defence spokesman General Chris Olukolade has said that there was no mutiny at Maimalari barracks, Maiduguri,  as reported by the media.

    He said the event of Wednesday was a reaction by some soldiers who misread the situation on ground and reacted impulsively.

    The defence spokesman called on the Nigerian media to desist from sensationalizing the reactions of soldiers as it is capable of making the country unsafe for all.

    Briefing newsmen in Maiduguri Thursday, Olukolade said that “the commanding officer of the 101 battalion had actually gone to Abuja for a course and could not have deliberately refused to pay their allowances.

    “It is true the soldiers raised many issues of concern annoying them. Indeed the issues raised are being looked into but the media should distance itself from the issue of mutiny. It is deadly and unnecessary at this trying time.

    “These are new soldiers who are just coming into town and they have not been well documented yet so they had to wait for their commander to fix up certain things for them to get their operational allowance.”

    According to him, one officer and five soldiers died in the ambush which took place at Telwa and in the process of bringing the dead to the hospital, about 50 officers who saw their corpse insisted that the General officer commanding Major General Ahmed Mohammed should address the soldiers.

    “Just when he tried to address them having gone to the hospital to see the wounded and the dead, they went on a shooting spree making him to leave there for his vehicle.”

    On whether the former GOC was squandering the allowances of the soldiers as alleged, he said it was not possible for the man to do that as he does not have custody of funds.

    On remuneration and terminal benefits of soldiers, he said that two insurance policies has been adopted by the Army and defence plus benevolent and death benefits funds which have been earmarked for each soldier.

    “So it was not true that soldiers died in vein without terminal benefits,” he added.