ABUJA, Nigeria (AP) — A
human rights lawyer says 54 soldiers have been sentenced to death
because they embarrassed Nigeria's military by demanding weapons to
fight Islamic extremists, and says they were justified in not going on
what would have been a suicidal mission.
Defense attorney Femi Falana said Thursday he will take all legal measures to prevent authorities from carrying out a "genocidal verdict" of death by firing squad delivered Wednesday night by a court-martial.
A
statement from Falana describes evidence given during the court-martial
that is an indictment of Nigeria's military establishment and, the
lawyer said, the reason journalists were barred from the trial.
All the soldiers convicted are aged between 21 and 25 and most joined the army around 2012, he said.
With
little or no training, they were deployed against Nigeria's home-grown
Islamic extremist group, Boko Haram. The lawyer charged that money for
salaries and to purchase arms is often diverted by corrupt officers.
"Instead
of bringing such unpatriotic officers to book, the military authorities
have engaged in the diversionary tactics of wasting the lives of
innocent soldiers by sentencing them to death without any legal
justification," Falana charged.
He
said Boko Haram on July 9 attacked the soldiers when the battalion of
750 troops was down to just 174. The extremists killed 26 soldiers
including three officers and seriously injured 82. The soldiers demanded
to be properly armed and were assured this would happen, he said.
Instead,
the battalion was ordered Aug. 4 to recapture three towns controlled by
Boko Haram. The few soldiers who deployed were ambushed and kidnapped.
When some weapons were made available Aug. 8, a second group of soldiers
recaptured the towns and liberated their colleagues, Falana said.
"They
were commended for their bravery and sacrifice. But for some
inexplicable reasons, the army authorities ordered that the soldiers be
charged with mutiny for allegedly exposing the armed forces to
embarrassment by asking for weapons!" his statement said.
Falana
told The Associated Press another 43 soldiers including a few officers
remain on trial for mutiny and cowardice for refusing to fight the
extremists.
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