Human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), on Thursday commended
the President Muhammadu Buhari Administration and the Chief of Army
Staff, Maj.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, for reinstating some soldiers who were
dismissed for varying offences arising from the war against insurgency
in the North-East.
But the lawyer said in a statement that beyond reinstating the
3,032 soldiers as announced by defence authorities on Monday, the
various courts-martial where he said some officers and soldiers were
being tried for “unjustifiable reasons” should be dissolved immediately.
He argued that the soldiers who were being prosecuted and those
already convicted by the various courts-martial were put on trial for
demanding equipment to fight the terror war.
He therefore called for the review of the cases of about 70 soldiers who had so far been sentenced to death by courts-martial.
Falana said, “The immediate past military authorities put several
soldiers on trial for demanding for equipment to fight the war on
terror. Seventy of the soldiers were convicted and sentenced to death
while scores were jailed by courts-martial.
“As the demand of the soldiers was legitimate, the military
hierarchy could not justify the spurious sentences. To avoid further
embarrassment, thousands of other soldiers who were indicted for the
same ‘offence’, were summarily dismissed from the army. Convinced of the
illegality of the treatment meted out to the soldiers, we approached
the federal high court and the national Industrial Court for redress.
“It
is gratifying to note that the Buhari Administration and the Chief of
Army Staff have decided to reinstate 3,032 among the dismissed soldiers.
“However, we urge the Federal Government to extend the commendable
gesture to several officers and soldiers who are currently standing
trial. The trial should be terminated while the courts-martial are
dissolved forthwith. In the same vein, the cases of those who have been
convicted ought to be reviewed with a view to pardoning them in the
interest of justice and fair play. More so, that the immediate past
Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Badeh has admitted that the
armed forces led by him lacked the equipment to prosecute the war on
terror.”
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