Reports emanating from Kaduna in Northern Nigeria claim that the five soldiers charged with trading weapons to the rebel oil militia of Niger Delta have been convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The convicted soldiers had been trading weapons stolen from the depots of the Army located at the Command and Staff College, Jaji and the One Base Ordnance, Kaduna to the Oil rebels since January 2000.
The President of the General Court Martial, Brigadier General Bala Usara, ruled that the soldiers, led by Major Akubo, stole and sold more than 7,000 weapons worth about N100 million.
‘This should serve as a deterrent to others who are contemplating following in their footsteps,’ said Army Spokesman, Brigadier General Emeka Onwuamaegbu.
The soldiers charged include Major Suleiman Alabi Akubo, Sergeant Matthias Peters, Lance Corporal Alexander Davou, Lance Corporal Moses Nwaigwe, Lance Corporal Nnamdi Anene and Private Caleb Bawa, Kola David and Aliyu Mohammed, who were tried along with the convicted officers, were demoted from the rank of Corporal to Private.
Reports claim that the arm trade was perpetuated by one Henry Okah whose brother Henry Okah is the leader of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND).
