Falana
Lagos based lawyer and human rights activist, Chief Femi Falana (SAN), has appealed to the Nigerian military authorities to set free the 70 soldiers who were convicted and sentenced to death for mutiny by two courts-martial last year.
Falana explained that his calls followed recent successful operations against the Boko Haram sect, following acquisition of crucial weapons for the armed forces by the federal government.
According to him, the soldiers who had consistently demanded for weapons to fight the insurgents had been vindicated.
Twelve of the soldiers were convicted in September, while 58 others were convicted and sentenced to death in December last year for mutiny.
In a statement at the weekend, Falana argued that “since the alleged offence of mutiny arose from the legitimate demand of the convicted soldiers for adequate weapons to fight the ragtag army of the Boko Haram sect, the basis of their conviction and sentence can no longer be justified”.
The legal luminary added that even though the war on terror had not been fully won, “the armed forces and the federal government deserve commendation for the success recorded so far in the task of restoring the territorial integrity of the country”.
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