60 Nigerian soldiers to face trial for mutiny today

60 Nigerian soldiers including 2 corporals,
9 Lance corporals and 49 privates who
refused to partake in an operation in
Maiduguri on August 4th will be arraigned
before a military court today Sept. 30th at
the Sani Abacha barracks in Abuja for
committing two offenses, conspiring to
mutiny and mutiny.
According to the charge sheet, on August
4th the soldiers had refused to join the
"111 SF Bn troops" led by Col E. A.
Aladeniyi to Maimalari Barracks for an
operation, thereby committing an offence
tagged "conspiring to mutiny" against the
authority of the division, an offence
punishable under Section 91(1) of the
Penal Code Cap P89 LFN 2004 as well as
outright mutiny which is punishable
under Section 52(1)(a) of the AFA CAP
A20 LFN 2004.
The charges are said to be triable in the
GCM under Section 114 of the AFA Cap
A20 LFN 2004 and punishable under
Section 91(1) of the Penal Code Cap P89
LFN 2004.
The soldiers to face trial today include;
Andrew Ogolekwu, Saturday Efa, Henry
Shaibu, James Maifada, Ndubuisi
Sabestine, Dauda Dalhatu, Kasega Aoso,
Mallam Jacob, Nwonu Friday, Joshua
Friday, Anthony Simeon, Olayode
Oluwasegun, Tijani Jimoh, Kabiru
Abubakar, Mamud Sywasan, James
Emmanuel, Mulaika Musa, Magaji Amadu,
Amao Bukola, Wuyep John, Oti Kelvin,
Ameh Mathew, Olaitan Joseph and
others.
Meanwhile a Senior Advocate of Nigeria,
Chief Godwin Obla, is working towards
appealing the death sentence handed to
some of the 12 soldiers on September
12th. The Senior Advocate in a telephone
interview with Punch however said the
inability of the military to disclose the
whereabouts of the sentenced soldiers to
him is stalling the process of the appeal
as they are needed to sign some
document before he can go further with
their appeal.
"We have been trying to get them
(the soldiers) to sign for the
process; and because we have not
been able to get them, we have not
been able to complete the process;
there are things for them to sign.
Nobody has been able to tell us
where they are being kept; nobody
is volunteering information; nobody
has been able to tell us where they
are. We are just hearing that they
have been moved to the Directorate
of Military Intelligence Cell in Lagos.
We will make the move so that the
process would be filed on their
behalf.” he said

Source: Punch