Army General Jailed For Loosing Equipment to Boko Haram
Adetokunbo Fakeye
The Nigerian Army has wielded the big stick on one of its own, Brigadier General Enitan Ransome-Kuti, for failure to perform military duties.
A court martial on Thursday convicted, dismissed and jailed the officer over the loss of Baga in Borno State to Boko Haram insurgents early this year.
Brig. Gen. Ransome-Kuti, son of renowned late activist, Beko Ransome-Kuti, was arraigned before the military court, sitting in Abuja in May, alongside other officers and men charged with cowardice and negligent performance of military duty under section 62b of the Armed Forces Act.
The court however, dismissed the charge of cowardice, following a no-case submission by the defendant, saying the officer was right in withdrawing his troops in the face of superior firepower from Boko Haram terrorists.
He was, however sentenced to six-month imprisonment for loss of equipment to the extremist sect and dismissed from service.
Femi Falana, a renowned lawyer, assisted by a retired army Major, Femi Oyebanji, represented the convicted General during the trial.
Mr Falana told Premium Times on Friday morning that his team would review the judgment, which he described as contradictory.
He promised to provide further details later.
It would be recalled that many of the soldiers who faced the court martial recently had their cases reviewed and pardoned by the military and thereafter reabsorbed into the Nigeria Army.
Sent from my BlackBerry 10 smartphone