A Special Court-Martial of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri has sentenced three soldiers to life imprisonment and a fourth to 15 years for selling arms to terrorists and criminal groups. The trial was presided over by Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division, and held at the Theatre Command Headquarters.
Delivering judgment, Court-Martial President Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi said Sergeants Raphael Ameh and Ejiga Musa, and Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje were guilty of theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, and aiding the enemy. Corporal Omitoye Rufus received a 15-year sentence for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to a police officer.
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Investigations showed that Sergeant Ameh conspired with colleagues and police officers to smuggle weapons concealed in bags of beans to Enugu and Ebonyi States, while Sergeant Musa and Lance Corporal Ocheje diverted rifles and ammunition during operations. Bank records linked the soldiers to hundreds of suspicious transactions worth over half a million naira.
Brigadier General Abdullahi condemned the actions as a betrayal of trust and discipline, warning that the Nigerian Army maintains zero tolerance for the sale of arms and ammunition. He said such conduct posed a direct threat to military operations and national security.
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