A special court-martial of the Nigerian Army has sentenced three soldiers to life imprisonment and one other to 15 years for illegal arms dealings with terrorists and police officers in Borno.
The court-martial, sitting at the Officers’ Mess, Theatre Command Headquarters, Maiduguri, was presided over by Brig.-Gen. Ugochukwu Unachukwu, Acting General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division and Commander, Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai.
Brig.-Gen. Mohammed Abdullahi, President of the court-martial, announced the verdicts, which found Sgts. Raphael Ameh and Ejiga Musa, as well as LCpl. Patrick Ocheje, guilty and sentenced them to life in prison.
Cpl. Omitoye Rufus was sentenced to 15 years imprisonment.
The soldiers were convicted of offences including theft, unlawful possession and dealing in ammunition, and aiding the enemy — offences punishable under the Armed Forces Act.
According to the court, Ameh, who served as an armourer at the 7 Division Garrison, conspired with a deceased colleague to divert ammunition from the division’s armoury. He was said to have worked with some police officers to conceal the weapons in bags of beans, which were smuggled to Enugu and Ebonyi States for use by criminals.
Brig.-Gen. Abdullahi disclosed that bank records linked Ameh to more than 100 suspicious financial transactions between July 2022 and June 2024.
Similarly, Musa, while serving as an armourer with the 195 Battalion, was found to have collaborated with Ocheje and police personnel to sell an AK-47 rifle and quantities of ammunition. He reportedly received over ₦500,000 before his arrest while attempting to sell more rounds.
Rufus was convicted for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition to a police officer, while Ocheje, who served at the Forward Operating Base in Molai, was found guilty of diverting ammunition during communal clashes, also at the instigation of a police officer. He was also accused of stealing a service rifle belonging to a fellow soldier.
Abdullahi said the soldiers’ actions endangered military operations and national security and amounted to aiding the enemy.
He condemned the convicts as “bad eggs” who betrayed the discipline and honour required of Nigerian soldiers, especially in the fight against insurgency.
“The Nigerian Army maintains a zero-tolerance stance on the illegal sale or diversion of arms and ammunition, regardless of rank or position,” Abdullahi said.
The court-martial is part of ongoing internal efforts to strengthen discipline and accountability in military operations in the North-East.
