An Army officer, Major Suleiman Alabi Akubo and five soldiers have been sentenced to life imprisonment for selling over 7,000 military weapons belonging to the Nigerian Army to the Henry Okah-led Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) at a whopping N100 million.

Others sentenced to life imprisonment along with Major Akubo whom the General Court Martial (GCM) described as lynchpin of the syndicate are Sergeant Matthias Peters (79NA/966), Lance Corporal Alexander Davou (97/NA/45/4618), Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe (97/NA/45/6565), Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene (02N/52/5191) and Private Caleb Bawa (96/NA/43/8839). Two others soldiers, Corporals Kola David (79NA/2834) and Mohammed Aliyu (79NA/32008) had their ranks reduced to private.

The eight soldiers had been standing trial before the GCM presided over by Brig-General Bala Usara on a six-count charge of criminal conspiracy, illegally dealing in firearms and unlawfully furnishing the Niger Delta militants with over 7,000 arms of various descriptions, property of the Nigerian Army through one Sunny Okah, younger brother of Henry Okah currently standing trial for a similar offence in Jos, Plateau State.

According to the President of the GCM, Brig. General Bala Usara, the six convicted soldiers committed civil offence to wit criminal conspiracy punishable under Section 97 (1) (1) of the Penal Code and triable in a court martial by virtue of Section 114 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004; criminal breach of trust punishable under Section 215 of the Penal Code and triable in a court martial by virtue of section 114 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and criminal conspiracy punishable under Section 971 of the Penal Code and triable in a court martial by virtue of Section 114 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

He also said the convicted soldiers illegally dealt in firearms contrary to Section 9(1) of the Firearms Act Cap 4 (28) Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004 and triable in a court martial by virtue of Section 114 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004, criminal conspiracy punishable under Section 97 (1) of the Penal Code and triable in a court martial by virtue of Section 114 (1) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the federation of Nigeria 2004 and aided the enemy punishable under Section 45 (2d) of the Armed Forces Act Cap A20 Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Usara said the convicted soldiers committed the offences at Jaji and Kaduna in Kaduna State on various days and occasions between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2006 and that they agreed between and among themselves and others at large to commit the offence of criminal breach of trust by dishonestly disposing off over 7,000 arms of various descriptions, property of the Nigerian Army entrusted in their care to Mr. Sunny Bowei Okah for an estimated sum of over N100million.

The GCM president said: “The convicts are hereby sentenced as follows: Count One: Major S.A. Akubo, 10 years imprisonment; Sergeant Matthias Peters, 10 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Alexander Davou, 10 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe, 10 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene, 10 years imprisonment; and Private Caleb Bawa, 10 years imprisonment.

“Count two: Major S.A Akubo, 10 years imprisonment; Sergeant Matthias Peters, 10 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Alexander Davou, 10 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe, 10 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene, 10 years imprisonment; and Private Caleb Bawa, 10 years imprisonment.

“Count three: Major S.A Akubo, 5 years imprisonment; Sergeant Matthias Peters, 5 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Alexander Davou, 5 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe, 5 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene, 5 years imprisonment; and Private Caleb Bawa, 5 years imprisonment.

“Count four: Major S.A Akubo, 5 years imprisonment; Sergeant Matthias Peters, 5 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Alexander Davou, 5 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe, 5 years imprisonment; Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene, 5 years imprisonment; and Private Caleb Bawa, 5 years imprisonment.

“Count five: Major S.A Akubo, life imprisonment; Sergeant Matthias Peters, life imprisonment; Lance Corporal Alexander Davou, life imprisonment; Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe, life imprisonment; Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene, life imprisonment; and Private Caleb Bawa, life imprisonment.

“Count six: Major S.A Akubo, life imprisonment; Sergeant Matthias Peters, life imprisonment; Lance Corporal Alexander Davou, life imprisonment; Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe, life imprisonment; Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene, life imprisonment; and Private Caleb Bawa, life imprisonment.”
Usara added that the sentences passed on the convicted officer and five soldiers would run concurrently but subject to the confirmation of the appropriate superior authority.
The GCM, however, reduced corporals Kola David and Aliyu Mohammed to the rank of private soldiers.

Immediately after the sentence was passed on the convicts, the judge advocate of the GCM ordered soldiers to take Akubo and the other soldiers into custody to avoid a situation where anyone of them would attempt an escape.

Heavily armed soldiers also immediately surrounded the convicts and took them into a waiting room where they were handcuffed and later led into a waiting Army civilian bus, which took them back to the guardroom where they would remain in custody pending their transfer to the civil prison after the confirmation of the sentence by the Army high command.

http://www.sunnewsonline.com/webpages/news/national/2008/nov/19/national-19-11-2008-001.htm

The sentencing should send a strong signal to the military personnel for no such tolerance



Here are the soldiers convicted, with the Major on the far left (courtesy of vanguard)

No be naija?
They will soon be out before 5 years to enjoy their loot.

7000 Weapons!!!!

And a Major is the highest rank involved

I find it very hard to believe

Considering how many people must have died at the hands of robbers wielding those weapons, I support this.

Assuming they are in fact guilty.

We would all have to be complete buffoons to believe that this group of non commissioned officers and a mid level officer carted off 7000 assault rifles and associated weaponry without direct involvement, collusion, participation of the supposed unknown generals.

Of course nobody saw anything , WHO IS FOOLING WHO

There is no perfect justice any where in this world. Scapegoats or not. These ones will do for now.