The General Court Martial (GCM) sitting at the Nigerian Air Force (NAF) Base in Makurdi has sentenced Aircraftman (ACM) Bernard Kalu to death by hanging for shooting and killing his female colleague, late Aircraftwoman (ACW) Sholape Oladipupo. Delivering the judgement on Tuesday, 15 August 2017, the President of the GCM, Group Captain Elisha Bindul, found ACM Kalu guilty of the charges of murder, house breaking, impersonation, failure to perform military duty, loss of Service property and disobedience to standing orders. The verdict is, however, subject to confirmation by the Convening Authority.
The Defence Counsel, however, expressed dissatisfaction with the verdict, adding that if the Convening Authority did not review the verdict, he would appeal to a higher court. The judgement today brought to an end, months of the GCM trial of the unfortunate shooting incident involving the two NAF personnel. It would be recalled that ACM Kalu shot and killed ACW Oladipupo Sholape on 12 March 2017 at the NAF Base, Makurdi. The successful conclusion of the GCM is a validation of the NAF’s earlier assurance to the general public that justice would be served to all concerned parties in the matter.
