Mutiny: Nigeria Army Gives Hope Of Pardon To Convicted Soldiers

Posted by African Examiner Latest Headlines, News Sunday, August 2nd, 2015

By Ganiyu Nasirudeen – Hope of the convicted soldiers, who were punished for committing mutiny, of being pardon and freed, is beckoning as the Nigerian Military authority has indicated interest in this regard.

The Acting Director of Army Public Relations, Sani Usman, made the indication Sunday, confirming that the cases of the soldiers who were differently court-martial last year during the administration of the immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan were currently being reviewed.

The Army Spokesperson hinted that the Nigerian Army was reviewing all recent disciplinary cases as a result of many litigations and petitions by some “aggrieved personnel” as well as stakeholders, warning that the public should not misconstrue the recent directive to “mean total recall of dismissed and deserter soldiers.”

Usman specified that among the cases meant for review included the 54 soldiers who were sentenced to death on December 17, 2014, over conspiracy to commit mutiny.

The soldiers, convicted for declining to join in operation to fight the insurgents in Damboa in Borno State August 4, testified during the court martial that they refused to take part in the operation, following the failure of the army to provide them with the necessary support equipment.

The convicted during the testimony cited instances of 23 dead soldiers and another 83 who were severely injured by the insurgents owing to lack of adequate equipment during the operation of July 9, 2014, to recapture Bulabulin town in Borno.

It would be recalled some of the soldiers granted interview to an international news channel – CNN last year, complaining that the Military authorities was not looking seriously into their welfare, hence they ended up in using their personal money to buy medication and kit themselves.

The revelation heightened the public protest against their conviction, as it was argued that if they were well taken care of, issue about mutiny could not have arisen in the first place.