Charged for mutiny and condemned to die by firing squad in 2014, lucky is the best word to use in describing some 70 men of the Nigeria Army who were granted pardon by former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2022. Their ordeal began in the North-East in the perennial war against Boko Haram.

For some of them, trouble brewed on September 12, 2013 when they confronted the insurgents in the thick Kafiya Forest, Gubio. Led by Col. Hassan Taiwo Dada, they were alleged to have mutinied and refused to do battle.

The mutineers claimed that they were ready to fight but were not equipped with the necessary weaponry to tackle the terrorists head on. They were dragged to a General Court Martial after the Commander, Army Headquarters Garrison, Gen. Barry Ndiomu signed the charges. Another group faced the Gen. Emeka Okonkwo-led General Court Martial (GCM) for firing at their commanding officer. It was for the same offence of mutiny. That came at a time wives of soldiers mounted a protest in Maiduguri against sending their husbands to Gwoza to battle better equipped Boko Haram fighters.

There was also the Gen. Mohammed Yusuf General Court Martial that tried men of the 111 Special Forces whose task was to recapture Delwa and hold ground to help retake Babulin and Damboa.

In the case of the Special Forces, their Commanding Officer, Lt. Col. Timothy Opurum, told the GCM that out of 174 soldiers under his command, only 29 followed him to the theatre of war, accompanied by four officers. The objective was achieved. Legal luminary, Femi Falana (SAN), waded in to defend the condemned soldiers, for free.

He argued that sending them to war without adequate weapons cover was tantamount to a suicide mission. The lawyer made it clear that the men were willing to fight but were denied the necessary support. Falana’s intervention saved the condemned soldiers. Their death sentences were commuted to 10 years imprisonment.

The case of soldiers still running to Falana for help and a general dancing in church to glorify God, paints a picture of George Orwell’s classic, ‘Animal Farm

It took the National Council of State to set them free following their advice which was heeded by Buhari who invoked a Presidential Pardon. However, their struggle continues. The men were set free but were not given discharge certificates as required. They have also been unable to process their entitlements which will enable them to start a new life as civilians. Their situation is dire.

Reacting, the Nigeria Army, speaking through its Director of Army Public Relations, Maj. Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, said the pardoned soldiers were yet to get in touch with the Personnel Department for the necessary discharge papers to be prepared.

But Nwachukwu seemed to have contradicted himself when he explained that while the Presidential Pardon was gazetted, no names and Service Numbers were attached, making it difficult to know those who were eligible for discharge certificates and entitlements.

This sounds illogical. Names of the alleged mutineers are supposed to be with Army Records, it would take little effort to carry out the instruction of the Commanderin-Chief, as advised by the National Council of State. Two years is a long time not to have been able to sort this out.

This became worrisome when the same Nigeria Army handled the case of Brig. Gen. Enitan Ransome Kuti, Commander of the Multinational Joint Task Force (MNJTF), Baga who was demoted to the rank of Colonel and dismissed for dereliction of duty.

He was later recalled. It would appear that Kuti, son of late activist, Beko Ransome Kuti and nephew of Afrobeat maestro, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, got all his entitlements not just because of his rank as a one-star general but for the negative publicity it would have attracted. The case of soldiers still running to Falana for help and a general dancing in church to glorify God, paints a picture of George Orwell’s classic, ‘Animal Farm’.

The Army should look into the plight of the pardoned soldiers. We must be worried that all the millions meant to equip our soldiers allegedly end up in some private bank accounts while officers and men are condemned to fight with inferior weapons.

The Army should get their priorities right. The idea of running a military university makes little sense when there is the Nigerian Defence Academy. National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, must not allow the Army to be seen as lawless. Men like Bankole Taiwo, Ayodele Olawale, Isaiah Olofu, Sule Ochehepo and Adebayo Gbenga are covered by a Presidential Pardon. They cannot continue to be court martialed, literally. (New Telegraph Editorial)