On Wednesday, the 7 Division of Nigerian Army
court-martialed 20 soldiers, including four officers, for various offences
allegedly committed within the operational area of its Operation Lafiya Dole
in the North-East sub-region of the country.
Inaugurating a seven-member General Court Martial
(GCM) at the Maiduguri Media Centre, the Acting General Officer
Commanding of the Division, Brig-Gen.
Victor Ezugwu, said that the court-martialing of the men was
to achieve timely and quick dispensation of justice within the framework
of the statute books.
"It is when there is justice that discipline can be
achieved, also discipline is the bedrock of the
military profession," he noted.
Brig-Gen. Victor Ezugwu advised that
it was important for the prosecution and the accused, including
their defence, to be mindful of that fact, calling on them
to strive to shun any antics that could
result in frivolous adjournments and delays in the trial process.
He also urged the President of the
panel, Brig-Gen. Olusegun Adeniyi and the six other
members of the court to dispense the important assignment before
them in accordance with the extant laws and ensure
that their opinions on all the cases brought before them are not beclouded
with bias, external pressure or by extraneous factors, SaharaReporters reports.
He said that the outcome of the court martial must be based
on careful appreciation of all of the facts of each case
and the evidence placed before the court.
To the accused, Brig-Gen. Victor Ezugwu said: "Be assured that you are all presumed innocent until
this honourable court finds otherwise. Your rights to fair
hearing and other fundamental human rights would be adhered to throughout
this trial."
He said that the Nigerian
Army will not condone violation of the laws of armed
conflict in the dischargeof constitutional responsibilities, and noted
that the accused persons could subsequently appeal verdictspassed by
the GCM to the Appeal and Supreme Courts.
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