The Nigeria army has handed down the harshest penalty to 12 soldiers among 18 others charged for mutiny and other related offenses.
An Army General Court Marshal held at the Army Head Quarters Garrison, Mogadishu Cantonment in Abuja passed death sentences to the soldiers along with concurrent life imprisonment sentences for two other related charges.
The penalties were announced by the President of the Court Marshal Brigadier General Chukuemaka Okonkwo at around 2am early this morning had discharged the soldiers on three other charges brought against them.
The soldiers were arrested and charged of firing shots at the General Officers Commanding the newly created 7 division of the Nigerian Army, Major General Ahmed Mohammed on May 14, 2014.
General Okonkwo read the six count charges brought against 11 of the soldiers from the 101 battalion in Maiduguri, prosecuted in the first category to include: criminal conspiracy to commit mutiny, mutiny and attempt to commit murder.
The other charges are: disobedience to particular orders, insubordinate behavior and false accusation respectively, the court discharged the accused of the last three charges.
The soldiers sentenced to death are: Jasper Braidolor, David Musa, Friday Onuh, Yusuf Shuaibu, Igonmu Emmanuel, Andrew Ugbede, Nurudeen Ahmed, Ifeanyi Alukagba, Alao Samuel, Amadi Chukwuma, Alan Linus, and Stephen Clement.
The first ten convicted persons were also sentenced to the maximum penalties of life imprisonment for being guilty of conspiracy to commit mutiny and attempted murders.
Stephen Clement, prosecuted alongside the second batch of seven accused persons was sentenced to death for mutiny; he was also sentenced to two years imprisonment for insubordinate behavior.
The second group of seven soldiers faced arbitrary six count charges that bordered on: insubordinate behavior, false accusation, absent without leave and conducts to the prejudice of service discipline.
Those discharged and acquitted are David Robert, Mohammed Sani, Iseh Ubong, Sebastine Gwaba and Naaman Samuel.
Jeremiah Echocho was sentenced to 28 days with hard labour for being absent without leave and reprimanded for conduct to the prejudice of the service.
After passing the Judgment General Okonkwo said the sentences were subject to confirmation of the highest military authorities.
