The Nigerian Army has concluded plans to arraign a former Commander of the Multi-National Joint Task Force, Brig. Gen. Enitan Ransome-Kuti and four other officers on the 29th of June for offences they allegedly committed during the Boko Haram attack on Baga in Borno State in January, the Punch reports.
Those listed alongside Ransome-Kuti on the charge sheet are Col. O.C. Ajunwa, Lt. Col. A. Haruna, Lt. Col. G.A. Suru and Maj. A.A. Malgwi.
The five officers are to be arraigned before a General Court Martial sitting at the Abacha Barracks, Abuja on three counts of cowardly behaviour, failure to perform military duties and miscellaneous offences relating to loss of armament. They were originally scheduled to be arraigned on Monday.
They were alleged to have committed the offences at the headquarters of the MNJTF in Baga, Borno State, when the location was overrun by the Boko Haram terrorists.
Of the five accused officers, only Ransome-Kuti’s name appeared in all the three charges signed by Maj. B.T. Ndiomu on March 25, 2015.
While all the five accused persons will face the first count of cowardly behaviour, the second count of failure to perform military duties was directed against Ransome-Kuti, Ajunwa and Suru.
Ransome-Kuti is the only one that will face the third count of loss of Army’s property that included three multipurpose light-armoured towing vehicles (MTLB in Russian), three rocket-propelled grenade launchers, two pan herd and three Sagie.
The other lost items are one VBL armoured vehicle, eight General Purpose Machine Guns, eight Browning Machine Guns, two trucks, 12 Toyota Hilux vans and a large quantity of ammunition.
According to the charge sheet, Ransome-Kuti was said to have contravened Section 68 (1) (a) of the Armed Forces Act Cap 20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 while the other officers were accused in the first count of exhibiting “cowardly behaviour by abandoning duty post at the MNJTF headquarters when the Boko Haram terrorists attacked”, contravening section 47(1)(a) of the Armed Forces Act and punishable under 47(3) of the same law.
In the second count, Ransome-Kuti, Ajunwa and Suru were accused of contravening section 62(b) of the Armed Forces Act “by failing to coordinate troops and assets of HQ MNJTF to repel the Boko Haram terrorists attack of the HQ MNJTF” on January 3, 2015.
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