Military Releases Many Detained Soldiers From Maiduguri Cells After Over Two Years Without Trial

The Military has now released many of the over 142 soldiers fighting insurgency in Maiduguri, who were detained without trial for a long period of time over alleged sundry offences.
Some of the soldiers who had spent between 18 months and five years without trial before about 25 of them were earlier placed on "open arrests," and released.
However, the latest release followed the visit to their detention centres by the General Officer Commanding, GOC, 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Major General A.G.L Haruna, the Theatre Commander, Major General W. Shaibu alongside the Deputy Director, Legal Services, DDLS, 7 Division, Major V.L Williams, last week.
Following outcry over the detention of 142:soldiers without trial, 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 had hinted that apart from General Adetoba of AHQ DAT, 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.
The alleged offences  of the detained soldiers included stealing of arms and ammunition or losing them to insurgents.
 SaharaReporters learnt that some of the detained soldiers had been in the war front for over six years without leave or PASS to visit their families to see their wives and children in the last three years. 
Apart from being denied PASS to visit their families, some of the detained soldiers had been in the war front for over six years without being replaced with fresh hands or rotated. 
Among those detainees included  some soldiers who had been recommended to be released to their units because their cases were light according to military lawyers.
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.
The Nigerian military has been engaged in a protracted counterinsurgency campaign against Boko Haram since 2009. The conflict has resulted in thousands of deaths, displacements, and human rights abuses.
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, thus taking a significant toll on their mental health, family life, and overall well-being.
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 "pass" 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.