The death sentences by firing squad passed on 66 soldiers in January and March 2015 by separate General Court Martials have been commuted to 10 years imprisonment each, the spokesperson for the Nigerian Army, Sani Usman, has said.
The Army had in late 2014 arraigned 71 soldiers on several count charges that included criminal conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mutiny, mutiny, attempt to commit an offence (murder), disobedience to particular orders, insubordinate behaviour and false accusation, among others.
They were tried, discharged on some charges but found guilty and convicted on other charges, which included mutiny. Of the 71, 66 were found guilty on some of the charges and sentenced to death, while five were discharged and acquitted and one was given 28-day imprisonment with hard labour. Mr. Usman, a colonel said following a series of petitions, the Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai, a Lieutenant General, ordered a legal review of the cases.
“The directive was carried out to examine the merit of each case,” the Army spokesperson said in a statement Saturday. It was on the basis of the review and recommendations that the Chief of Army Staff commuted the death sentences of the 66 soldiers to 10-year jail term.