Pardon Mutinous Soldiers On Death Row - Falana Urges President Buhari

Human rights lawyer and former President of the West

African Bar Association (WABA), Femi Falana, has appealed to President Muhammadu Buhari to forgive all soldiers convicted for mutiny during the last administration, including those on death row.

In a letter to the president, which was obtained by SaharaReporters on Sunday, Falana argued that all the soldiers did to demand for weapons with which to find Boko Haram terrorists, but rather than grant the legitimate demand, former Chief of Army Staff, General Kenneth Minima (rtd), accused the soldiers of sabotaging the counter-insurgency operations of the federal government and proceeded to set up courts-martial to try them for mutiny.

He re-presented a part of Buhari’s interview with BBC Hausa service on December 28, 2015, during which the president said: “The government at that time sent the soldiers to the battlefield without arms and ammunition to prosecute the war. That was what led some of them to mutiny. They were arrested and detained because of this.”

Citing a previous example of the court-martialing of ECOMOG soldiers, which was eventually overturned by the court of appeal, Falana implored the president to grant the soldiers “reprieve and full pardon”.

The letter, in full, is reproduced below:
 
Alhaji Mohammadu Buhari,
President & Commander-in-chief,
of the Armed Forces,
Presidential  Villa,

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