Four officers and 16 soldiers appear before court martial for selling weapons to Boko Haram

TWENTY officers and men of the Nigerian Army were court-martialled yesterday at a sitting in the Borno State capital Maiduguri for varying offences committed within the theatre command of the fight against Boko Haram known as Operation Lafiya Dole.

 

Over the law two years, the army has had to establish court martials to try soldiers for a variety of offences including cowardice, dereliction of duty, conniving with the enemy and insubordination. Yesterday, 20 more troops appeared before a military tribunal charged with fresh offences including selling ammunition to terrorists and murder.

 

Of the 20 charged before the seven-man General Court Martial (GCM), which took place at the Maiduguri media centre, four are officers. Brigadier Victor Ezugwu, the acting general officer commanding the Seventh Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army, said the court martialling of four officers and 16 men was to achieve timely and quick dispensation of justice within the framework of the statute books.

 

He added that discipline is the bedrock of the military profession, pointing out that to have a disciplined body of officers and men, there must be justice. While inaugurating members of the GCM, Brigadier Ezugwu said it was important for the prosecution and the accused persons, including their counsels, to be mindful of this fact and strive to shun all forms of antics that could result in frivolous adjournments and delays in trial processes.

 

“It is when there is justice that discipline can be achieved. For the GCM president, Brigadier Olusegun Adeniyi and six other members of the court martial to dispense this all important assignment in accordance with the extant laws, ensure that your opinions on all the cases brought before you are not in any way beclouded with bias, external pressure or by extraneous factors,” Brigadier Ezugwu added.

 

He said the outcome of the court martial must be based on careful appreciation of the whole facts of each case and evidence placed before the court martial. For the accused, Brigadier Ezugwu assured them that their rights would not be violated, adding that they could appeal verdicts passed by the GCM at the Appeal and Supreme courts.

 

Brigadier Ezugwu said: “Be assured that you are all presumed innocent until this honourable court finds otherwise. Your rights to fair hearing and other fundamental human rights would be adhered to throughout this trial.”

 

He said the Nigerian Army, through the court martial, would not condone cases of violation of laws of armed conflict in the discharge of constitutional responsibilities. In the past, several soldiers have been sentenced to death by the GCM but President Muhammadu Buhari has commuted all such sentences.