Human rights activist, Mr Femi Falana (SAN) Sunday said the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-General Tukur Buratai must release all the 66 soldiers whose death sentences were commuted to 10 years’ imprisonment, in addition to the four others who were left out of the exercise.
Falana, who insisted that 70 and not 66 soldiers were sentenced to death by two courts-martial in 2014, argued that instead of reducing the unjust convictions and death sentences passed on the soldiers, the Chief of Army Staff (COAS) should release them without any further delay.
The lawyer, in a statement in Lagos, gave the names of those not affected by the commute order as: LCP Bankole Taiwo, Ayodele Olawale, Isiah Osofu and Adebayo Gbenga.
He said, the Army Public Relations Officer, Col Sani Usman announced that the COAS, Lt-General Tukur Buratai had commuted the death sentences passed on 66 soldiers who were convicted last year by two courts-martial. “Since we defended 58 of the convicted soldiers, we wish to react as follows:
“12 soldiers were convicted in September 2014 and sentenced to death by a court-martial for demanding for weapons when the General Officer Commanding the 7th Division of the Nigerian Army visited a military camp in the war zone.
“58 others were convicted and sentenced to death in December by another court-martial for demanding for weapons to fight the insurgents.
“Therefore, the number of soldiers who were sentenced to death by the two courts-martial is 70 and not 66.”