BY OUR CORRESPONDENT – For their involvement in illegal arms deals and ammunition sales to terrorists, a Special Court-martial of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri, Borno State, has sentenced three soldiers to life imprisonment with another bagging 15 years jail term.
The convicted soldiers were accused of carrying out their deadly activities in connivance with police officers and certain subversive elements
Presided over by the Acting General Officer Commanding (GoC), 7 Division and Commander of Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, the trial held at the Officers’ Mess of the Theatre Command Headquarters in Maiduguri.
In delivering the judgment, President of the Court-martial, Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, pronounced Raphael Ameh, a Sergeant; Ejiga Musa, a Sergeant; and Patrick Ocheje, a Lance Corporal, guilty and sentenced them to life imprisonment.
However, for Omitoye Rufus, a Corporal, the Court slammed a 15 year jail term on him for the offence committed.
According to available reports, the soldiers were convicted of offences ranging from theft and unlawful dealing in ammunition to aiding the enemy, all punishable under the Armed Forces Act.
Ameh, who served as an armourer at the 7 Division Garrison, was found to have conspired with a deceased colleague to steal ammunition from the division’s armoury.
He worked with Police officers to conceal weapons in bags of beans and smuggled them to criminals operating in Enugu and Ebonyi States.
Abdullahi revealed that bank records linked Ameh to over 100 suspicious transactions between July 2022 and June 2024.
Also, it was discovered that Musa, while serving as the armourer of 195 Battalion, collaborated with Ocheje and some Police officers to sell an AK-47 rifle and large quantities of ammunition.
Records indicated that he received over ₦500,000 from the transactions before his arrest while attempting to sell more ammunition.
Similarly, Rufus was convicted for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition to a Police officer, while Ocheje, who was deployed at the forward operating base in Molai, was found guilty of diverting ammunition during communal clashes at the instigation of a Police officer.
This is in addition to stealing an AK-47 rifle belonging to one of his colleagues
The court held that their actions directly endangered military operations and national security, amounting to aiding the enemy.
In condemning the convicts’ actions, General Abdullahi described them as “bad eggs” who betrayed the trust, discipline, and honour expected of soldiers in the fight against insurgency.
He warned that the Army will not compromise its zero-tolerance for criminal conducts, particularly the sale of arms or ammunition to adversaries “in whatever form or guise.”
