Army To Inaugurate Trial Of Soldiers Fighting Boko Haram Over Sundry Offences On Tuesday, Fe
The Court Marshall to try some soldiers accused of sundry offences in Borno State is to be inaugurated at the Division 7 of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Borno State on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
The Court Marshall to try some soldiers accused of sundry offences in Borno State is to be inaugurated at the Division 7 of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Borno State on Tuesday, February 11, 2025.
Following outcry over the detention of 142:soldiers for between two years and five years without trial in Maiduguri, Borno State, the Nigerian Military had set up a Court Marshall headed by Major General A. C. Adetoba, to handle their trials expeditiously.
Sources within the Defence Headquarters said that apart from General Adetoba of (AHQ DATI), other members of the panel include two Brigadier Generals including Brig. Gen A.Y Yakubu, (HQ 36 AB); Brig. Gen. Abubakar
(NAHFC); Navy Commodore P.P.Nimmyel
((NAHFC); Col G.E. Archibong (DSA) and seven others.
The Prosecution team led by Lt. Col. W.F David (7Div Provost Gp) and two other officers, even as the trial would take place at the Command Guest House, Maiduguri beginning from July 8, 2024.
Some of the accused soldiers had been incacerated in Army Guardrooms for periods ranging from two to four years before they were freed on "open arrest" for their respective trials to start.
They would be tried at the 7 Division Headquarters by according to military rules.
The new court inauguration was supposed to be have been held on February 5, 2025, but it was reportedly postponed to February 11.
About 11 soldiers are expected for this batch even as no fewer that 142 were initially billed for trial starting from last Night October/ November.
Military sourses said that some of the soldiers being tried were in the places of posting about two years ago when they were overrun by Boko Haram terrorists who were better armed than them.
They were repeatedly attacked with RPG and AGL bombs while some of the soldiers abandoned LMGs - Light Machine Guns and some riffles to escape being killed, prompting their long detention before trial.
Nigerian Military Sets Up Court Marshall For 142: Erring Soldiers In Borno
The affected soldiers are facing trials for
offences including stealing of arms and ammunition or losing them to insurgents.
SaharaReporters learnt that some of the detained soldiers have been in the war front for over six years without leave or PASS even as some have not visited their families to see their wives and children in the last three years.
It was alleged that some of the detained soldiers reportedly stole some quantities of bullets while some others lost their guns to terrorists, among other sundry offences.
Among those detainees are about 20 soldiers who had been recommended to be released to their units because their cases were light according to military lawyers.
It was learnt that the military police had been collecting about N87,000 monthly feeding and other related allowances of most of the detained soldiers.
Sources said that some of the soldiers were posted to the war front between 2017 and 2018 but have neither been rotated or transferred to other areas for fresh hands to move in since then.
A senior military officer who spoke on condition of anonymity said some of the soldiers are weary even as most are suffering from war fatigue, crack or depression.
Some of the soldiers who were taken to the war front between the middle of 2017 and early January 2018, also said that their welfare or feeding arrangements depended solely on the garrison or brigade commanders.
Occasionally, soldiers in war fronts are given "PASSES" to visit their families but some of us have not our wives and children in the last two and a half years, some of the troops said, adding that some of their wives had abandoned them for other men including their colleagues in the barracks.
Their words, "Some Garrison or Brigade Commanders are not interested in troops welfare. However, some are more interested in promotions while some only feed soldiers well and not care about promotion or other welfare issues.
"Some commanders are very bad; both garrison and brigade commanders. They are not interested in paying their troops any benefits or promoting them. We have tasted all these types of denials."
Some of the troops in Bama, Borno State, said they need more hands to fight the insurgents.
Sometimes, they attack our units of five or 11 soldiers, using RPG and AGL bombs...while we use LMGs. If you abandon any weapon while escaping, you will be detained for a very long time, tried or court marshaled.
Meanwhile, close relations of the soldiers are complaining that, "Our brothers and husbands have been serving in the North East since early 2017 or 2018, without being changed or even allowed to visit their families at all. As we speak, we have not seen them since them for over two years and a half or three years. We learnt that some are feeling depressed.
"As their relations, we feel bad that these soldiers are unable to see their wives or children in the last three or four years. We feel emotionally disturbed. Some of them have lost their wives to other men or even fellow soldiers.
Attempts to get reactions from the Army Public Relations Department over the issue was not successful, SaharaReporters, added.
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