As Nigerians continue to clamour and beg for pardon for the 12 Nigerian soldiers sentenced to death for their part in the mutiny that took place in the Maimalari Military Cantonment in Maiduguri, Borno State, in the heat of the Boko Haram insurgency, the Nigerian Senate has declared that it would not plead with the Nigerian Army to spare the lives of soldiers, because they deserve the death sentence passed on them by the military court martial.The position of the Senate was made known by the Chairman, Senate Committee on Defence, George Sekibo, in a closed-door meeting with the top military officers led by the Chief of Defence Staff, Alex Badeh.
The Senate went further to say that executing the soldiers is in the best interest of the Nigerian military.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Mr. Sekibo said the senate was not under pressure to intervene to save the lives of the soldiers:No, we are not under pressure because the Armed Forces is established by an Act of the National Assembly. The Act spelt out categorically the conduct of soldiers and the way they are to behave wherever they are. If you join the military that Act is to guide you and your conduct.
If you go contrary to any of the prescribed sections of the Act, the punishment prescribed for the Act you violated will come on you.
So the military did not just wake up one day and say that they are going to kill Mr A or Mr B. They (military) went through the necessary processes and they found them guilty.
Recall that 12 Nigerian soldiers, now famously called Maiduguri 12, were sentenced to death by a military court martial on September 16, 2014, for an offence of mutiny after firing shots at their commanding officer, Maj. Gen. Abubakar Mohammed, in Maiduguri on May 14.
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