Femi Falana, popular human rights lawyer has written a letter to President Muhammadu Buhari to grant presidential pardon to all military officers convicted of mutiny.
Some of the soldiers who were discharged and convicted for mutiny were pardoned by the president although a number are still in detention especially those the lawyer defended.
In the letter published by PM News, Falana said the only offence the soldiers committed was that they had the temerity to demand for weapons to fight the well-armed terrorists.
Falana noted that the misappropriation of fund meant for the purchase of arms by the former national security adviser, Sambo Dasuki already vindicated the soldiers.
Part of the letter read: “At the trials the only “offence” proved against the accused soldiers was that they had the temerity to demand for weapons to fight the well armed terrorists. But the soldiers whose cases were handled by us anchored their defence on Section 179 of the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004 which permits “a soldier, rating or aircraftman to make a complaint to his commanding officer and that he shall not be penalised for having made a complaint”. We also proved that the National Assembly had appropriated sufficient funds for arms procurement in line with section 217 of the Constitution which provides that “The Federation shall, subject to an Act of the National Assembly be equipped as made may be considered adequate ..” To prove that the funds had been criminally diverted by the military authorities and their civilian cronies we relied on the statement made by the then Chief of Defence Staff, Air Marshal Alex Barde who disclosed during his retirement ceremony that the armed forces led by him lacked the military hardware to fight the terrorists!”
Falana said since some soldiers convicted of the same crime have been reinstated, it is only fair that other receive the same treatment.
“Since the soldiers who have been reinstated and the scores of others who were convicted by the courts-martial were alleged to have committed the same “offence” General Butarai ought to have treated them in like manner. In other words, all the convicted soldiers should equally have been pardoned and reinstated without any conditions. More so, that the Arms Procurement Panel instituted by Your Excellency has confirmed that the sum of $2.1 billion and N643 billion set aside for the purchase of equipment for counter insurgency operations was allegedly diverted by the immediate past National Security Adviser, Col Sambo Dasuki and his several accomplices. It has been further revealed by the Panel that another sum of 42 billion and N69 billion for procurement of arms for the Nigeria Air Force was equally diverted by a coterie of serving and retired military officers and their civilian accomplices.”
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