Mutiny as defined, is a conspiracy among members of a group of similarly-situated individuals, typically members of the military or the crew of any ship to openly oppose, change or overthrow an existing superior authority! Or to disobey an order which they are legally bound to obey? Or cause a revolt or rebellion against a constituted authority?
Icheoku asks, does demanding for ones' duly entitled payment rise to the level of a mutiny? The dictionary says NO! However, the authorities in Nigeria think otherwise and have sent away for life, 27 patriotic Nigerian soldiers, for an offence which they did not commit? The protesting soldiers did not oppose or change or overthrow any existing authority? They did not disobey any lawful orders but were merely demanding to be paid their earned income? Also the soldiers did not revolt or cause a rebellion against anybody, so where is the beef for which they have been severely punished? A coup de tat would qualify? A violent uprising would? A wilful unruly disobedience to a legal order would? A mayhem would? But a protest-demand for payment of earned entitlement does not, will not and should not qualify as a mutiny; if any, the authorities that precipitated the protest, by not paying or withholding earned emoluments, are the culpable party here. The underlying question should be, why were these soldiers not paid their earned entitlements? Eight hundred (800) soldiers worldwide participated in the United Nation's Peace Keeping Mission, NIBAT 15, in Liberia between August 2007 and April 2008; 773 of them were paid for the job done leaving 27 of them, who happened to be Nigerians, unpaid; and now their attempt to draw attention to their plight have led to their being pilloried?
If the soldiers protest was deemed unacceptable, may be the authorities should have done the right thing by paying them and hence muted the protest. But no, they withheld or refused to pay them, and these soldiers, family men and women who like any other Nigeria have needs and responsibilities, protested and their reward is a life sentence? What a damper and downer on a group of young men and women who want to do right by and for their country? Icheoku says, such a travesty should not be allowed to stand as a dismissal from service would have been a more appropriate punishment, if it is established that protesting for ones' earned income is now against Nigerian military code of ethics? But why should a disciplined body like the military fail and/or refuse to pay salaries of her staff or was it another case akin to the former Inspector General of Police Tafa Balogun; who used to put money meant for the salary of policemen and women into a high yielding interest account, to scheme off profit before "remembering" that everyone have needs and responsibilities? A judicial investigation is needed to unravel why these 27 Nigerian soldiers were not paid their entitlements when their counterparts from other parts of the world were duly and timely paid! This is the right and correct thing to do instead of merely addressing its symptoms with this harsh sentences!
The Brigadier- General Ishaya Bauka's military court martial's life sentences on these soldiers is rather too excessive and should not be allowed to stand. It lacks rational and once again puts Nigeria in the bull-eye of world mockery as a land where real culprits loom free while innocent patriotic soldiers are penalised for merely asking to be paid their lawfully earned income. If any person is liable in this case, it is the authorities who withheld money which belonged to someone else, the protesting soldiers. Icheoku calls on the appellate authorities to overrule this judgment and not allow it to stand as it lacks merit. We are emphatic that a peaceful protest, no matter how unsavory it may be to the authorities, does not rise up to a mutiny; for which these soldiers have been unlawfully sentenced to life imprisonment. These soldiers "merely blocked a road" for some hours and did not damage any property or injured or killed anyone, so why the harsh punishment? Icheoku says their life sentence is an excessive, outrageous, cruel and unusual punishment; at worst these soldiers could have simply been dismissed for insubordination but certainly not sent to prison for life based on the adduced evidence. A protest-demand to be paid an earned income is not mutinous and should have not attracted such a stiff punishment as life imprisonment; there are so many other deterrents for the action of these "convicts" which at best constituted gross indiscipline but definitely not mutiny. 
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Christy 'Apena' Essien-Igbokwe , the wife of Jegede Shokoya of the New Masquerade and Nigeria's lady of songs is dead; she was 51years old. Although her family claimed that "brief Illness" killed her like so many Nigerians; Icheoku retorts that it was most likely AKwa Ibom voodoo and remote control that was used to arrest her. It is on record that she had fallen out with the governor of her native Akwa Ibiom State and have been having a relentless war for political turf with the governor? So who knows whether she was sacrificed to Ekpe cult or even Alusi-Okija as an offal; afterall African science is still very much alive and portent. May her soul rest in peace.
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MEND consoles families of 27 soldiers jailed for life
ReplyDeleteWritten by Samuel Oyadongha
Thursday, 30 April 2009
Yenagoa—The Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) yesterday commiserated with the families of the 27 soldiers of the 14th Nigerian Battalion who were sentenced to life imprisonment for protesting for their rights.
MEND in a statement signed by its spokesman, Jomo Gbomo, wondered why the soldiers should be punished for
The 27 soldiers of the 14th Nigerian Battalion who were sentenced to life imprisonmentagitating for what rightly belonged to them.
The statement read in part: “Their unfortunate plight elicits sympathy from the people of the Niger Delta who are no strangers to injustice from a failed state.
“Nigerians had a hope in democracy, but have since realized that the type of fake democracy practiced by the ruling PDP government is encouraging corruption, cover-up of exposed corruption cases, election rigging, disregard for the rule of law, extra-judicial killings and retarding growth and change.
“MEND condemns the Federal Government of Nigeria for this miscarriage of justice. The soldiers should be thanked for serving their country and not punished for the brazen theft of their allowances by the Army
THE United Nations may be raising questions about how Nigeria's military high command manages some of the troops the country sends to United Nations peacekeeping missions.
ReplyDeleteThe concerns featured in New York at the weekend in the UN headquarters where the International Day of Peacekeeping was celebrated. Coincidentally, last Friday marked Democracy Day in Nigeria.
At the UN headquarters, top officials promised to look into the issue of the 27 Nigerian international peacekeepers, who were recently court-martialed and jailed for life for protesting the non-payment of their international UN allowances.
The 27 soldiers, including Corporals, Lance Corporals and Sergeants, were part of the 850-member 14th Nigerian Battalion drawn from several military formations in the country to participate in the UN mission from September 2007 to April 2008.
At a press conference to mark the Day of Peacekeeping, Mr. Alain Le Roy, the UN Under-Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, and Susana Malcorra, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, fielded questions about the 27 Nigerian soldiers.
They also commented on the case of a female Nigerian soldier, who was part of the nation's troops sent to Sudan, but who later claimed she was dismissed for refusing sexual advances from her commander at the UN mission.
Mr. Le Roy said he would take up the issue of the 27 international peacekeepers among who were three women. He is visiting Nigeria next month and will have discussions with top Generals of the Nigerian armed forces.
The focus of this year's international Day of UN Peacekeeping incidentally is about women peacekeepers with the theme, 'Women in Peacekeeping: the Power to Empower'.
Last month, a military court sentenced to life jail 27 of the 28 soldiers, who were court-martialed for mutiny, after they protested the non-payment of the allowances due to them for participating in the UN peacekeeping mission in Liberia.
One of the soldiers, Private Bala Aliyu, was discharged and acquitted by the court. The court, which sat in Akure, ruled on the matter after about nine months of trial.
The ruling is believed to be subject to the confirmation by the Nigerian Chief of Army, who is the convening authority, and Le Roy, the top UN Chief for Peacekeeping, would be meeting the Chief of Army Staff next month to review the case.
Interestingly, also last month, the Nigerian Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Air Chief Marshal Paul Dike and Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Abdulrahman Dambazau, visited the UN but the matter apparently was not discussed.
UN press corps from the New York-based Inner City Press and this reporter later raised the issue, forcing the UN top officials to offer an intervention on Friday.
On the female Nigerian soldier, Private Adeniyi Abiodun, who accused her commanding officer, said to be a colonel, of allegedly causing her dismissal and subsequent detention for two months because she allegedly refused him sex while on UN mission in Sudan four years ago, Under-Secretary-General for Field Support, Susana Malcorra, also promised to look into the matter.
She had told the UN press corps on Friday that, "I will be frank with you, I am hearing of it for the first time and we'll find out."
But on the case of the jailed 27 peacekeepers, Le Roy warned that the matter falls within the purview of Nigeria's domestic affairs. Nonetheless, he would still ask questions from the Nigerian generals in his forthcoming meeting with them.
"It is, of course, a domestic issue, but I will ask during my trip to Nigeria in mid-June and I will let you know," Le Roy told press corps.
Lawyer to the jailed soldiers, Femi Falana, had reportedly said that none of the senior officers allegedly involved in the embezzlement of the said UN funds were detained for one day.
Following the commemoration of the sixtieth anniversary of peacekeeping last year, this year's International Day of United Nations Peacekeepers placed special emphasis on women empowerment.
Army commutes life sentence of 27 soldiers to 7 years
ReplyDeleteWritten by Ben Atonko with Agency Reports
Sunday, 30 August 2009 00:00
The Director of Nigerian Army Public Relations, Brig.-Gen. Chris Olukolade (l) briefs newsmen in Abuja yesterday on the army’s decision to reduce Life Sentence of convicted soldiers who protested in Akure July 2008 over alleged non-payment of their peace-keeping allowances, to seven years imprisonment. With him is the Director of Army Legal Services, Brig.-Gen. Abdulkadiri Abubakar …
The Nigerian Army on Saturday in Abuja commuted the life imprisonment term of 27 soldiers charged with mutiny to seven yeras jail term each.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the soldiers, who served in a peacekeeping mission in Liberia, staged a violent demonstration in Akure on July 4 and July 5 2008 over the non-payment of their allowances.
A General Court Martial, constituted by the army, convicted and sentenced the 27 soldiers out of the 28 soldiers charged to life imprisonment while one was discharged.
Brig-Gen Chris Olukolade, Director Army Public Relations, who announced the new decision at a news conference said this was the outcome of the army confirming authority’s review of the sentences.
Olukolade said in arriving at the decision, the authorities ``did not only consider the plea of mitigation by counsel to the soldiers in which they pleaded for mercy as part of their responsibilities to their clients, but also the army’s attempt to achieve justice and equity in the delivery of justice’’.
``Accordingly, the findings of the General Court Martial have been confirmed.
The sentence of life imprisonment given to all the convicted soldiers has, however, been commuted to seven years imprisonment,’’ he said.
Olukolade said mutiny was a very serious offence in the military and the leadership of the army would not fold its arms and allow any trait of it to be exhibited.
‘’Indeed, soldiers cannot exercise the same rights or approach to protests like civilians and those who argue to promote a situation where soldiers can go on strike like their civilian counterparts should consider the effect such acts of indiscipline can have on the security, orderliness and survival of other countries.
``The Nigerian state and indeed other nation states, for that matter, are conscious of the possible implications of such development and have therefore established clear and mutually safe procedures for soldiers to seek redress in the event of perceived ill-treatment,’’ Olukolade said.
Meanwhile, the president of the Civil Rights Congress (CRC) Malam Shehu Sani told Sunday Trust last night that, the 27 soldiers should be freed, because they should not have been jailed in the first place.
He said, “The trial and sentence of the soldiers was not justifiable. They are innocent and should be freed. It falls short of their fundamental human rights, and we in the human rights community reject it. They should be freed.”