3 Soldiers Bag Life Imprisonment, 1 Gets 15 Years For Aiding Terrorists

A peculiar court-martial acceptable up by the Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army and Sector 1 Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, has tried 2 elder non-commissioned officers and 2 non-commissioned officers for arms/ammunition racketeering and aiding and abetting terrorism.

The charges ranged from theft, unlawful dealing successful ammunition, offences successful narration to Service Property, and aiding the enemy, each of which are punishable nether the applicable sections of the Armed Forces Act (AFA), Law of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN), CAP A20 2004, and different extant laws.

Pronouncing the verdict during the proceeding astatine Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess successful Maiduguri, the president of the SCM, Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, stated that the court-martial convicted Sgt Rapheal Ameh, Sgt Ejiga Musa and LCpl Patrick Ocheje to beingness imprisonment. At the aforesaid time, Cpl Omitoye Rufus was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment aft they pleaded blameworthy to respective charges.

In the lawsuit of Sgt Ameh Raphael, a documentary grounds admitted earlier the tribunal revealed that arsenic an armourer with 7 Division Garrison, the SNCO conspired with precocious LCpl Ogbogo Isaac to pilfer ammunition from the Division’s arms store. It was further revealed that helium collaborated with 1 Inspector Francis Ajayi and Francis Manasseh, each of the 30 Police Mobile Force (PMF), to conceal arms successful bags of beans and smuggled them to Enugu and Ebonyi States for usage by criminals. It was besides revealed that Sgt Ameh received the proceeds of this illicit commercialized done implicit 100 slope transactions betwixt July 2022 and June 2024.

Sgt Ejiga Musa stole and collaborated with LCpl Patrick Ochoje and Inspector Francis Manasseh of 30 PMF to merchantability an AK 47 firearm and a ample quantity of ammunition portion serving arsenic the 195 Battalion’s main armourer. Records showed helium collected implicit ₦ 500,000. Sgt Ejiga met his Waterloo erstwhile helium attempted to merchantability the ammunition to Inspector Francis Ajayi, besides of 30 PMF.

Cpl Omitoye Rufus was besides convicted for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm peculiar to 1 Inspector Enoch Nwokolobia. In the lawsuit of LCpl Patrick Ocheje portion deployed astatine Forward Operating Base Molai was persuaded by Inspector Francis Manasseh to pilfer ammunition to beryllium sold to militias during communal crisis.

Investigation further revealed that LCpl Patrick received 20 rounds of PKT ammunition from Sgt Ejiga Musa of 195 Bn (M) for merchantability to violent groups successful collaboration with Inspector Francis Ajayi. The worker was besides recovered blameworthy of stealing an AK 47 firearm belonging to his comrade.

The tribunal held that illicit commercialized straight endangers troops, imperils subject operations and threatens nationalist security; therefore, it amounts to aiding the enemy.

The tribunal president Brigadier General Abdullahi asserted that the activities of “these atrocious unit are not lone a usurpation of the instrumentality but a betrayal of the trust, subject and honour expected of troops successful the theatre.

“The Nigerian Army (NA) maintains zero tolerance for gross misconduct, fraudulent practices and unprofessional practices. Such acts erode discipline, undermine morale and bring the work into disrepute,” helium said.

The NA’s committedness to accountability and justness is evident successful its investigations into alleged misconduct and its efforts to beforehand a civilization of professionalism done reward and punishment portion fostering amended relationships with the public.

He besides reiterated the NA’s posture connected zero tolerance for the merchantability of ammunition to adversaries oregon anybody successful immoderate guise oregon form.