Army’s Special Court Marshal sentences 2 officers, other soldiers in Borno over arms deal

By Ndahi Marama, Maiduguri 

The Special Court Martial  (SCM) convened by the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division Nigerian Army and Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI (OPHK) Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu has slammed, 2 Senior Non-commissioned Officers and 2 Non-Commision Officers for Arms/Ammunition racketeering arsenic good arsenic Aiding and Abetting the Enemy. 

Pronouncing the verdict during the proceeding astatine Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess successful Maiduguri, the President SCM Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi stated that, the Court-Martial convicted Sgt Rapheal Ameh, Sgt Ejiga Musa, and LCpl Patrick Ocheje to beingness imprisonments, portion Cpl Omitoye Rufus was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment aft they pleaded blameworthy to respective counts charges ranging from theft, unlawful dealing successful ammunition, offence successful narration to Service Property arsenic good arsenic aiding the force which are each punishable nether the applicable sections of the Armed Forces Act (AFA) Law of Federation of Nigeria (LFN) CAP A20 2004  and different extant laws. 

In the lawsuit of Sgt Ameh Raphael, a documentary grounds admitted earlier the Court revealed that arsenic an Armourer with 7 Division Garrison, the SNCO conspired with precocious LCpl Ogbogo Isaac to pilfer ammunition from the Division 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. 

For Sgt Ejiga Musa, portion serving arsenic 195 Battalion main armourer stole and collaborated with 1 LCpl Patrick Ochoje and besides Inspector Francis Manasseh of 30 PMF to merchantability AK 47 riffle and ample quantity of ammunition wherever records showed helium collected the sum of implicit Five Hundred Thousand Naira (₦ 500,00). Sgt Ejiga met his waterloo erstwhile helium attempted to merchantability 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 besides got 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 terrorists’ groups successful collaboration with Inspector Francis Ajayi. The worker was besides recovered blameworthy for stealing an AK 47 firearm belonging to his comrade.

The tribunal held that illicit commercialized straight endangers troops, imperil subject operations and nationalist information truthful amounting to Aiding the Enemy. 

The Court President Brigadier General Abdullahi asserted that “the activities of these atrocious eggs unit are not lone a usurpation of the instrumentality but a betrayal of the trust, subject and grant 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”. He stated. 

The NA’s committedness to accountability and justness according to Brigadier General Abdullahi 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. 

The President besides reiterated the NA’s posture connected zero tolerance for selling of ammunition to adversary oregon anybody successful immoderate guise oregon form

The station Army’s Special Court Marshal sentences 2 officers, different soldiers successful Borno implicit arms deal appeared archetypal connected Vanguard News.