Military Court Sentences Soldier To Death, Others To Jail Terms
BY AMOS DUNIA, ABUJA – The Nigerian Army General Court Martial (GOC), has sentenced Lance Corporal John Godwin serving in Operation LAFIYA DOLE to death for murder.
The Court Martial, which sat in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, also sentenced two other soldiers to jail for various offences ranging from manslaughter, illegal possession of fire arms and ammunition.
Godwin was found guilty of murder charge, which is punishable under Section 106 (a) of Armed Forces Acts (Cap A20), Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004, for killing five rescued civilians in Yamteke town of Borno State.
It was gathered that the civilians were those rescued by troops of the soldier’s battalion and were taken for investigation during which Godwin shot and killed five of them.
Similarly, Sergeant Innocent Ototo, was sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter after torturing and killing a 13 year old boy, who he accused of having stolen his phone.
The incident involving Ototo took place at Zamanbari area of Maiduguri metropolis in Borno State.
In the same vein, Lance Corporal Benjamin Osage and Private Sunday Onwe were sentenced to 20 years imprisonment each for offences bordering on manslaughter and illegal possession of fire arms and ammunition.
A statement by the Deputy Director, Army Public Relations, 7 Division, Colonel Kingsley Mfom Samuel quoted the President of the Court Martial, Brigadier General Gbenga Olusegun Adesina, as saying that the offences run contrary to the Nigerian Army’s Rules of Engagement (ROE) and also against the Nigerian Laws and Geneva Conventions which Nigeria is signatory to and which the Nigerian Army as a professional Army holds in high esteem.
