Seventy ex-soldiers imprisoned in 2014 and later pardoned by former President Muhammadu Buhari await their military benefits following recent discharge from service, but controversy has emerged over the wording of their discharge certificates.
The military authorities recently issued discharge certificates to the pardoned soldiers, but the documents state they were “discharged mandatorily in 2014,” raising concerns among the affected personnel about how their service records reflect their legal status.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Femi Falana has called on military authorities to address the certificate issue, drawing comparison to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s presidential qualification case.
Speaking to Arise TV, Falana referenced a historical legal precedent involving Obasanjo and Chief Olu Falae. “Chief Falae said General Obasanjo was not qualified to have contested the election because he was convicted under the Abacha military junta. But the court said, since General Abdulsalami Abubakar, as the military head of state, has granted pardon to him, he has become a new man. Therefore, he cannot be disqualified on the ground of conviction, because he has been pardoned,” he explained.
Falana demanded consistent application of pardon principles. “The same treatment must be melted out to these young people; that’s our demand. Simple and straightforward,” he stated.
The human rights lawyer had written to President Buhari in 2021 urging presidential pardon for the 70 convicted soldiers. Falana, who defended the soldiers during their original trials, argued that their dismissal was poorly handled by military authorities.
The dismissed personnel faced General Courts Martial between 2013 and 2014, receiving convictions for mutiny during the height of Nigeria’s counter-insurgency operations in the Northeast.
Falana defended the soldiers’ actions, citing inadequate military support during anti-terrorism operations. He claimed the Federal Government deployed thousands of ill-equipped and poorly motivated armed forces members to fight well-armed insurgents in the Northeast region between 2013 and 2014.
According to Falana, many soldiers who survived insurgent attacks subsequently deserted the military, leading to the mutiny charges that resulted in the 70 convictions.
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