Authorities of the Nigerian Army have
again postponed the court-martial of a Brigadier General and 21 other
top army officers till the end of the month.
The 22 officers are being prosecuted for
alleged offences committed during the ongoing war against Boko Haram
insurgents in the North-east.
The officers were identified as
Brigadier-General J.O Komolafe; 14 Colonels – A. Laguda, V. Ebhaleme,
V.O. Ita, and I.B. Maina, I. A Aboi, I.M Kabir, M.H. Abubakar, A. A.
Egbejule, N. N. Orok, C. A. Magaji, A.O. Agwu, A.J.S. Gulani, O.O. Obolo
and A.M. Adetuyi.
Others are Major M.M Idris; five
Captains – M Adamu, O. A. Adenaike, M. Gidado, M.M. Clark and S. Raymond
and one Second Lieutenant, S.O Olowa.
The court-martial which was earlier scheduled to commence yesterday at the 9th Brigade Headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos State was in the evening postponed for unknown reasons.
The court-martial which was earlier scheduled to commence yesterday at the 9th Brigade Headquarters in Ikeja, Lagos State was in the evening postponed for unknown reasons.
However, Lagos lawyer and human rights
activist, Femi Falana, the defence lawyer of the 22 army officers, said
he had asked the authority to grant them bail pending when the military
authority is ready to prosecute them.
He said there was no point detaining the suspects when the charges against the suspects are not yet ready.
Asked whether the suspects would not
abscond, he said, “They won’t abscond because they want to defend
themselves and clear their names.”
The court martial was earlier scheduled
to begin on January 16 but it was postponed because the said brigadier
general was not available.
Although journalists were denied access
to the court-martial room, yesterday’s postponement would be third time
in a roll since the army authority made known its intension to hold the
trial in Lagos.
Military postpones court-martial of Brigadier General and 21 other top officers for the third time
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Oleh
healthandwealth
