Buratai reverses death sentence on soldiers

December 19

10:21 2015

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Tukur Buratai, chief of army staff, has commuted the death sentence passed on 66 soldiers in January and March 2015, to 10 years imprisonment.

Sani Usman, spokesman of the army, announced this in a statement issued on Saturday.

About 71 soldiers were arraigned on several charges in the joint trials at the general courts martial.

They were arraigned on charges bordering “on criminal conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mutiny, mutiny, attempt to commit an offence (murder), disobedience to particular orders, insubordinate behaviour and false accusation”.

The soldiers were tried, discharged on some charges but found guilty and convicted on other charges which included mutiny.

Out of the number, 66 were found guilty on some of the count charges and sentenced to death, while five were discharged and acquitted and one was given 28 days imprisonment with hard labour.

“However, following a series of petitions, the chief of army staff, Lieutenant General Tukur Yusufu Buratai, ordered a legal review of the cases. The directive was carried out to examine the merit of each case. It was on the basis of the review and recommendations that the chief of army staff commuted the death sentences of the 66 soldiers to 10 years jail term. The sentences are to run concurrently,” Usman explained.

He added that the cases of other soldiers were being reviewed and would be made public when the appropriate reviews were completed.