Twelve Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for mutiny.... Any Justification?

Sometimes in september, Twelve Nigerian soldiers were sentenced to death for mutiny and attempted murder after shots were fired at their commanding officer in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri in May.

The soldiers were angry after a convoy was ambushed on a road frequently targeted by Islamist Boko Haram militants.
Five other soldiers were acquitted and one was convicted on another count.

A lot of criticisms have trailed the conviction of the twelve soldiers. Some lawyers have gone to the extent of challenging the action in court.

The dust raised by the action of the said soldiers that led to their conviction has hardly settled down when over the weekend it was revealed that an Army Colonel, some junior officers and soldiers who were taking part in the military offensive to reclaim communities taken over by the Boko Haram terrorists in Adamawa State, have been arrested for sabotage.

The colonel who was Commanding a team of three Armoured Personnel Carriers, APC's, with the capability to fire up to a range of 1.5kilometres or even more, had instead of pursuing the terrorists, deliberately set the APCs on fire between Gulak and Madagali, before running away with his team of soldiers into the bush.

You can now see why the Military Court Martial which is currently sitting is inevitable. I have a strong case against those who criticised the judgement passed on the twelve soldiers.

At the point of enlistment into the Army, nobody forces anybody into the military. It is a voluntary service, it is obvious that anyone enlisting into the military has the fore-knowledge of war sometime in the future and when such time that demands his service as a soldier comes, he must stand his ground to defend the integrity of the state to which he swore to protect.

The Nigerian Military is guided by the constutuition, it is a disciplined institution and well regimented. The soldiers are bound by the rules of the military and anyone that goes against its rules is liable for punishment.

Apart from the fact that the Military is ruled by the constitution, remove discipline from the military, then there is no difference between a soldier and an ordinary civilian or pedestrian on the street. Or how do you explain the volume of damage suffered by the nation as a result of one irresponsible Colonel who deliberately set three APC's that costs the nation over $1million to purchase each? How do we bring people like this to accountability? How do we instil discipline in our nation, if incidences like this are let go without reprimands?

It is obvious that without discipline, this nation will definitely be drifting into anarchy and irredeemable state. Let us all join forces together to condemn acts of sabotage so that we can jointly sanitise this great nation and make it a better place..
Sent from my BlackBerry wireless device from MTN