The General
Military Court
Martial set up
by the authorities
of the Nigerian
Army to
try some soldiers
of the 111 Special
Forces
Battalion,
Maiduguri, have
again condemned
four soldiers to
death by firing
squad.
Investigations
revealed that the
President of the
Court, Brig.- Gen
Musa Yusuf,
found the four
soldiers guilty of
conspiracy to
commit mutiny
and thus
sentenced them
to death.
It was learnt that
the court
condemned the
four soldiers to
death on
December 24,
2014.
The GCM had
earlier convicted
54 of the 59
soldiers to death
after finding them
guilty of
conspiracy to
commit mutiny on
December 17,
2014.
Five soldiers from
the 111 Special
Forces Battalion
who were tried
alongside the 54
for allegedly
refusing to obey
an order from
their Commander,
were found to be
innocent of the
charges and were
discharged and
acquitted.
Prior to the
conviction of the
54 soldiers,
another GCM had
convicted 12 out
of 18 soldiers
tried for mutiny
on September 14,
2014.
The conviction of
the four soldiers
brought the total
number of
soldiers convicted
and sentenced to
death to 70.
Meanwhile,
authoritative
military sources
said that soldiers
of the Nigerian
Army were being
tried for
administrative
offences in
designated
military
formations across
the country.
Investigation
revealed that the
Commanding
Officer of the Ojo
Garrison
Command, the
General Officer
Commanding of
the 82 Division,
Enugu and his
counterpart in
Kaduna are trying
officers for
various acts of
misdemeanour on
a daily basis.
These Court
Martials are in
addition to the
General Court
Martials
established by the
authorities of the
Nigerian Army to
try allegations of
acts of
misdemeanour
against soldiers
involved in the
ongoing counter
terrorism
campaign in the
North-East.
The Director,
Army Public
Relations, Brig.
Gen. Olajide Laleye,
had said in a press
briefing on
Wednesday that
the military
authorities had
set up Court
Martials in three
military
formations in Jos,
Abuja and Lagos
to try acts of
misdemeanour
emanating from
the ongoing
counter
insurgency and
counter terrorism
operations
in the North-East.
The GCMS are
domiciled in the
Ikeja Cantonment
Lagos, The
Headquarters of
the 3rd Armoured
Division, Maxweel
Kobe Military
Cantonment, Jos
and the Nigerian
Army
Headquarters
Garrison, Abuja.
On Friday, Laleye
commented on
the reported
dismissal of 203
soldiers after
alleged summary
night trial, saying
it was not true
that the Army
conducted secret
night trial to
decide the fate of
soldiers.
He said while he
was neither
confirming nor
refuting the
story,
commanders of
the Nigerian Army
had been trying
soldiers for
various emerging
offences in
adherence with
military laws and
long established
procedures guiding
the operations of
the Armed Forces.
