A military court in Nigeria has
sentenced 54 soldiers to
death after they were found
guilty of mutiny.
The soldiers were convicted
Wednesday in Abuja on a
two-count charge of criminal
conspiracy to commit mutiny.
Four other soldiers were
acquitted.
The convicted soldiers,
mostly officers involved in the
fight against the Boko Haram
terrorists in Northeast Nigeria,
are to die on stakes, by firing
squad.
The soldiers, attached to the
7 Division, Nigerian Army in
Maiduguri include two
Corporals, Cpl, nine Lance
Corporals, LCpl and 49
Private soldiers.
The charge sheet said the
soldiers conspired to commit
mutiny against the authorities
of the 7 Division on August 4,
at the Mulai Primary School
camp, opposite AIT
Maiduguri, Borno State.
The soldiers are the second
batch of Nigerian soldiers
condemned to death by
Nigerian Military courts for
mutiny.
The trial of the soldiers began
on October 15 on allegations
they disobeyed orders to join
operations against the
extremist group, Boko Haram.
All the accused soldiers
pleaded not guilty to the
charges.
The prosecutor, J.E. Nwosu,
an army Captain, alleged that
the accused soldiers had on
August 4, in Maiduguri,
refused to join the 111
Special Forces Battalion
troops, commanded by
Timothy Opurum, a
Lieutenant Colonel for an
operation.
Mr. Nwosu said the operation
was meant to recapture
Delwa, Bulabulin and Damboa
in Borno State from the Boko
Haram terrorists.
According to him, the offence
is punishable under Section
52(1) (a) of the Armed
Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of
the Federation of Nigeria,
2004.
The prosecution called the
commander of the 111
Special Forces, Lt.-Col.
Opurum, as one of the
witnesses.
The statement of the
commander was admitted by
the court and marked Exhibit
P1.
Mr. Opurum, in his testimony
in October, said the Special
Forces were tasked with
advancing to recapture Delwa
to clear the way for other
battalions to pass through to
recapture Babulin and
Damboa from the insurgents.
He said he took off for the
operation with only four
officers and 29 soldiers as
“tasked” after majority of the
174 soldiers in the unit
refused to join the operation.
The witness said after he
took charge of the Special
Forces, he addressed and
assured them that they could
achieve the task given to
them.
He, however, said the soldiers
were “hesitant to partake in
the operation” in spite of the
assurances.
Under cross examination by
Femi Falana, who represented
the accused soldiers, Mr.
Opurum said 47 of the
soldiers who initially refused,
later re-joined the forces for
another operation.
Mr. Opurum said the 47
soldiers joined, after he called
for reinforcement, as they
came under attack from
terrorists, who out-numbered
them and had superior
weapons.
Asked if the soldiers refused
to fight or refused to join the
operation because of lack of
superior weapons, he said all
units in the North-East had
requested for weapons.
On the disciplinary measure
taken against the 47 soldiers,
who initially refused, he said
the process for that was to
begin when they were court-
martialled.
Mr. Falana in an oral
application asked to the court
for the record of weapons
recovered from the 47
soldiers, when they initially
refused to join the operations.
The President of the Court,
Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Yusuf,
said the application had been
noted “for action’’.
The General Court Martial
was inaugurated on October
2 to try 97 soldiers, including
15 senior officers for mutiny.

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