A Special Court-Martial of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, Borno State, has handed down life sentences to three soldiers and a 15-year imprisonment to four soldier for their involvement in the illicit sale of arms to terrorist groups.
The trial was presided over by Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander of Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK). It was held at the Officers’ Mess of the Theatre Command Headquarters in Maiduguri.
Delivering the judgment, Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, President of the Court-Martial, found Sergeant Raphael Ameh, Sergeant Ejiga Musa, and Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
Corporal Omitoye Rufus, however, was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
An armourer at the 7 Division Garrison, Ameh was found guilty of conspiring with a deceased colleague to steal ammunition from the division’s armoury.
He also collaborated with police officers to conceal the weapons in bags of beans and smuggle them to Enugu and Ebonyi States for supply to criminals.
Sergeant Ejiga Musa, serving as an armourer of the 195 Battalion, Musa conspired with Lance Corporal Ocheje and police officers to sell an AK-47 rifle and large quantities of ammunition, receiving over N500,000 before his arrest.
Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje, deployed at the forward operating base in Molai, Ocheje diverted ammunition during communal clashes and stole an AK-47 rifle belonging to a fellow soldier.
Corporal Omitoye Rufus, was convicted of selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition to a police officer.
The soldiers were convicted of multiple offenses, including theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, and aiding the enemy, punishable under the Armed Forces Act.
Sergeant Raphael Ameh, Sergeant Ejiga Musa, and Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Brigadier General Abdullahi condemned the convicts, describing them as “bad eggs” who betrayed the trust and discipline expected of soldiers.
He reaffirmed the Nigerian Army’s zero-tolerance policy on the sale of arms and ammunition to adversaries.
