The United Nations has said it
will take appropriate action over
the execution of 54 soldiers
sentenced to death by the
Nigerian Army on December 17.
The UN Special Rapporteur on
Extrajudicial Summary or
Arbitrary Executions, Christof
Heyns, in a letter to The Socio-
Economic Rights and
Accountability Project, said,
“Appropriate action, including
communication to the
government of President
Goodluck Jonathan, is being
considered regarding the
imminent execution of 54
soldiers in Nigeria.”
A General Court-Martial set up by
the Army authorities had
sentenced the 54 soldiers to
death by firing squad for alleged
offences of mutiny and
conspiracy.
SERAP, in a petition dated
December 23 and addressed to a
group of five UN special human
rights rapporteurs and the UN
High Commissioner for Human
Rights, Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein,
described the mass death
sentences on the soldiers as
“unjust and incompatible with
fundamental human rights.”
The rights group had urged the
rapporteurs to use their good
offices and positions to prevail
on the Federal Government and
the Army authorities not to carry
out the mass death sentences
imposed on the 54 soldiers.
In a statement by the Executive
Director of SERAP, Adetokunbo
Mumuni, on Sunday, SERAP
expressed satisfaction over the
decision of the UN to intervene
in the execution of the soldiers.
“Given his longstanding human
rights commitment and
achievements, we have
absolutely no doubt that Mr.
Heyns will work assiduously to
ensure that justice is done in this
matter and we wish him well as
he strives to do that,” Mumuni
stated.
SERAP said, “The General Court-
Martial, held in secret, was a
mockery of justice and ignored
issues raised by the condemned
men that suggest lack of
transparency, accountability and
general deficiencies in the
handling of the security budget
and arms purchases.”
The statement read, “The UN has
also acknowledged the
discriminatory and arbitrary
nature of judicial processes and
the danger of the death penalty
being used as a tool of
repression. It has documented
evidence to show that the death
penalty is no deterrent, stressing
that ‘depriving a human person
of his or her life is incompatible
with the trend in the 21st
Century.”

www.punchng.com/news/un-to-plead-for-54-convicted-soldiers

Ok

I DON'T BLAME SOLDIERS FOR MISBEHAVING..


I BLAME BAD LEADERSHIP

They should be a rethink.

i dont know.....this issue is too complex jst take any side without thinking critically.

on one hand,the soldiers were reported not given good weapons n d likes, hence dia discontent
on the other hand, they r soldiers who av to respect d chain of command as drummed into the military.....

With the way the court is sentencing soldiers to death,how many soldiers would be left to fight BH?

They aren't zombies,they have the right to protest against unfair treatment..

This is a case of monkey dey work,oga dey loot.