Three Soldiers Don Chop Life Jail After Dem Sell Gun Give Terrorists

One Special Court-Martial for Nigerian Army inside Maiduguri, Borno State, don sentence three soldiers to life imprisonment, and give another one 15 years jail, for selling guns illegally join body with some police officers and terrorist groups. Di trial wey Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu preside over, wey be di Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander of Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), happen for di Officers’ Mess of di Theatre Command Headquarters for Maiduguri. As dem deliver di judgment, Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, wey be di President of di Court-Martial, find Sergeant Raphael Ameh, Sergeant Ejiga Musa, and Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje guilty and sentence dem to life imprisonment. Corporal Omitoye Rufus, however, chop 15 years for prison. Di soldiers dem bin convict for plenty offences, including theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, and aiding di enemy, all of dem punishable under di Armed Forces Act. Sergeant Raphael Ameh, wey serve as armourer for di 7 Division Garrison, dem find am guilty say e conspire with one colleague wey don die to thief ammunition from di division armoury. Dem talk say e join hand with police officers to hide di weapons inside bags of beans and smuggle dem go Enugu and Ebonyi States, where dem supply criminals.

Brigadier General Abdullahi reveal say bank records link Sergeant Ameh to over 100 suspicious transactions between July 2022 and June 2024. Sergeant Musa, wey serve as di armourer of di 195 Battalion, dem find say e conspire with Lance Corporal Ocheje and several police officers to sell one AK-47 rifle and plenty ammunition. Financial records show say Musa collect over ₦500,000 from dis transactions before dem arrest am as e dey try sell more rounds. Corporal Rufus dem convict say e sell 40 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition give one police officer. Meanwhile, Lance Corporal Ocheje, wey dem deploy go di forward operating base for Molai, dem find am guilty say e divert ammunition during communal clashes, based on di instruction wey one police officer give am. E still thief one AK-47 rifle wey belong to one fellow soldier. Di court rule say dia actions pose direct threat to military operations and national security, and e be clear case of aiding di enemy. For di way wey e condemn di convicts, Brigadier General Abdullahi describe dem as “bad eggs” wey don betray di trust, discipline, and honour wey dem dey expect from soldiers wey dey fight against insurgency. E reaffirm di Nigerian Army zero-tolerance policy on top di sale of arms and ammunition to adversaries, say dem no go tolerate am “in whatever form or guise.”