A special court-martial of the Nigerian army has convictedfour soldiers for illegal arms trade and aiding terrorists in the north-east. The trial, convened by Ugochukwu Unachukwu, a brigadiergeneral and acting general officer commanding 7 division and commander ofsector 1, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), was held at the officers’ mess, TheatreCommand Headquarters in Maiduguri. Delivering judgment, Mohammed Abdullahi, a brigadier generaland president of the court-martial,sentenced Raphael Ameh, a sergeant; Ejiga Musa, a sergeant and Patrick Ocheje,a lance corporal, to life imprisonment. Omitoye Rufus, a corporal, was handed a15-year jail term. The soldiers were found guilty of offences ranging fromtheft and unlawful dealing in ammunition to aiding the enemy — all punishableunder the Armed Forces Act. Ameh, an armourer at 7 division garrison, was said to haveconspired with a deceased colleague to steal ammunition from the division’sarmoury. He worked with police officers to conceal weapons in bags ofbeans and smuggle them to Enugu and Ebonyi for criminals. Abdullahi said bank records showed over 100 transactionslinked to the trade between July 2022 and June 2024. Musa, while serving as an armourer of 195 battalion, wassaid to have collaborated with Ocheje and police officers to sell an AK-47rifle and large quantities of ammunition. Records showed he collected more than ₦500,000. He wasarrested while attempting to sell more ammunition. Abdullahi revealed that Rufus sold 40 rounds of 7.62mmspecial ammunition to a police officer. Ocheje, deployed at forward operating base Molai, was foundguilty of diverting ammunition during communal clashes at the persuasion of apolice officer. He also stole an AK-47 rifle belonging to a colleague.The court held that their actions directly endangeredmilitary operations and national security, amounting to “aiding the enemy”. Abdullahi condemned the convicts, describing them as “badeggs” who betrayed the trust, discipline, and honour expected of soldiers inthe fight against insurgency. He restated the army’s zero-tolerance stance on the sale ofarms or ammunition to adversaries “in whatever form or guise”.
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