Court Marshall: Army Begins Review Of Soldiers’ Cases

President Muhammadu Buhari (middle), Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo (7th left), Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Petroleum, Mr Taiya Haruna (6th right), Permanent Secretary, State House, Mr Nebolisa Emordi (2nd left), with directors in the Ministry of Petroleum, after a meeting with President Buhari at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, recently.

The Nigerian Army yesterday announced that it is reviewing the cases of all soldiers who were disciplined for various offences through court marshals.
It would be recalled that under the previous administration, dozens of soldiers were sentenced to death, life imprisonment and other punishment for various offences including mutiny, desertion, and disobedience of lawful orders.
Majority of the sentences, carried out in various military courts, have been appealed by counsel to the affected officials, and condemned by local and international rights groups.
However, yesterday, the Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, said the army was itself already reviewing the punishments.
“For the avoidance of doubt it should be noted that the Nigerian Army is reviewing all recent disciplinary cases due to the wave of litigations and petitions by some aggrieved personnel,” Usman said.
The spokesperson, however, added that the “public should not misconstrue the recent directive to mean total recall of dismissed and deserter soldiers.”
Among the soldiers whose cases would be reviewed are the 54 sentenced to death on December 17, 2014.
They were convicted for conspiracy to commit mutiny, and mutiny, and sentenced to death by firing squad.
In a trial that began in October, the soldiers, from the 111 Special Forces, were charged for disobeying a direct order from their commanding officer, Timothy Opurum, a Lieutenant Colonel, to take part in an operation to recapture Delwa, Bulabulin and Damboa in Borno State from Boko Haram terrorists on August 4.
Some of the accused soldiers testified that they refused to take part in the operation following the failure of the army to provide them with the necessary support equipment.
They explained that owing to a lack of equipment, they lost three officers, 23 soldiers plus 83 others suffering various degrees of injuries after their units were ambushed by Boko Haram fighters during an operation to retake the town of Bulabulin in Borno on July 9.
Some of the accused soldiers said they did not attend the briefing where the operation was announced, while others said they did not join the mission because they were ill, and there was no medical personal attached to their unit to give medical assistance.
Two other soldiers said they were given leave to attend to some administrative problems as at the time of the briefing.
Much of the trial was conducted in secret as journalists were barred mid-way into the deliberations.
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) yesterday said its fighter jets have successfully combined with ground troops to repel the latest Boko Haram attack on Bita village in Borno State.
This was confirmed in a statement issued by the Director of Public Relations and Information, NAF Headquarters, Air Commodore Dele Alonge.
He said a large number of insurgents were killed in the operation, carried out by Nigerian forces in the area.
Alonge said the Nigerian Air Force would continue to provide combat air support to the ground force in all operations carried out by Nigerian troops in the North East.
“The Nigerian Air Force using its Alpha-Jet,, provided combat air support to the ground force to attack the insurgents where they were observed to be mopping up to carry out a deadly attack on the village.
“Consequently, a large number of the insurgents were killed and several others, injured,” he said.
Alonge said the NAF Alpha-Jet also conducted an armed reconnaissance along Bita to Gwoza road, and through Yamtege, Hamdaga, Dure and Pulka.
According to him, NAF will continue to give all necessary support to the ground force, through its intensified and persistent efforts in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram.
He said the momentum would be sustained in the ongoing operations against the terrorists in the North East, until all portions of Nigeria’s territory were safe and free from the insurgents.
The new Chief of the Air Staff, Air Vice Marshal Sadeeq Abubakar, has pledged to improve NAF fire power in the ongoing fight against Boko Haram.