There
were
indications in Abuja on Thursday that the
authorities of the Nigerian Army might soon arraign
13 soldiers for cowardice and failure to obey orders
from their superiors to advance at the (war) front.
Investigations revealed that the soldiers directed to
join their counterparts at the 7 Division, entrusted
with the responsibility of coordinating the on going
counter-terrorism operation in the North-East early
in the year.
It was gathered that the General Court Martial set up
to handle the cases emanating from the on-going
operation led by Brig. Gen. CC Okonkwo will hear
the cases against the soldiers .
A military source, who made this known in Abuja, did
not give the exact date for the hearing of the cases.
He said that the soldiers ‘’failed to advance when an
order was given to them to do so.” Their action,
according to him, was against military laws.
It was learnt that the affected soldiers had all been
moved to the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, which
is the venue of the GCM.
When one of our correspondents contacted the
Public Relations Officer of the Defence Headquarters,
Garrison, Mogadishu Cantonment, Col. Aliyu Yusuf,
he said that the GCM was not treating any case for
now.
Yusuf said, “For now, there is no court martial
inaugurated. When the court martial is inaugurated, I
will brief you appropriately on the issues before it.”
It was learnt that many military personnel in
detention were waiting to face the court martial for
misdemeanours.
The misdemeanours include negligence of duty,
cowardice, failure to perform military duty, failure to
advance with orders, leakage of information to the
enemy and others.
The PUNCH gathered that the military authorities
had cleared the detention facility at the Mogadishu
Cantonment where 12 who were sentenced to death
on September 16, 2014, are kept to create room for
the 13 soldiers from the 7 Division.
It was learnt that the convicted soldiers had been
moved to the detention facility of the Directorate of
Military Intelligence in Lagos.
The GCM had found the 12 soldiers guilty of
conspiracy to commit murder and mutiny and
sentenced them to death by firing squad.
When our correspondent contacted the Director of
Defence Information, Major General Chris Olukolade,
he neither confirmed nor denied the planned trial of
the 13 soldiers .
He said that the GCM was a standing court that would
continue until all the cases before it were treated.
The DHQ spokesman said, “Normally, the court
martial as a standing court is continuous until all the
cases before it are disposed of.”
Meanwhile, a pastor, teacher and 18 other residents
of Shaffa and Shindiffu in the Hawul Local
Government Area of Borno State have been killed by
Boko Haram insurgents.
The insurgents also razed down 10 churches,
including the Living Faith Church and private homes
during the attacks on Wednesday.
Sadly the incidents took place hours after the
Defence Headquarters announced on Wednesday
that troops killed Mohammed Bashir aka Abubakar
Shekau, the leader of Boko Haram.
An eyewitness gave the name of the killed pastor as
Eliud Gwamna Mshelizza of the Living Faith Church.
He also claimed that all the murdered people,
including the Government Girls’ Secondary School,
Shaffa teacher, were Christians.
A resident said apart from the 10 burnt churches,
including the E.Y.N 1, 2 and 3 in Shaffa and Shindiffu,
the insurgents destroyed a clinic as well as some
staff quarters and other structures at the GSS.
The terrorists, according to him, invaded Shaffa at
about 8pm on Wednesday and wreaked havoc before
moving to the nearby Shindiffu at about 11am on
Thursday.
The insurgents had in the last two months attacked
Tashan Alade, Hirzhi, Pela Birni, Debiro, Kwajaffa
Bura, Jubwuwhi and Dalwa in the LGA.
The Public Relations Officer of the state Police
Command, Gideon Jubrin, confirmed the attacks to
journalists on the telephone on Thursday .
He said, “There was an attack on some villages of
the Hawul Local Government Area by suspected
members of Boko Haram but I have yet to get
details due to lack o[truncated by WhatsApp]
Sunny Ade at 28
Sunny Ade in Glo Advert