The leadership of Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to grant presidential pardon to the 54 soldiers currently serving a 10-year jail term following their conviction by a court marshal over mutiny related crime.
The group made the call in a press statement issued on Monday by its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola. The statement said the group was concerned by the ill fate of these heroes that had laid their lives for the continued existence of the country, stressing that they had defended Nigeria on several fronts before the incident.
“We are deeply concerned about the plight of these heroes of Nigeria who have been wrongly treated. Yes, we strongly believe that they have been wrongly treated. They had defended Nigeria on several fronts before the incident. Their comrades fell on the battlefield in their presence.
“While other soldiers knew that money meant for weapons were being siphoned into private pockets of top officers but chose to remain quiet, the gallantry and patriotism in the 54 soldiers motivated them to speak up and demand better weapons. Their demand actually exposed the rot in the top military hierarchy regarding the high-level corruption involving the diversion of funds meant for weapons.
“It was the eye-opener that led to the popular case of $2.1 billion weapons fund diverted to the 2015 electioneering campaign by the then ruling party. It is therefore paradoxical that the 54 soldiers who exposed corruption in the military are now rotting in jail.
“We in MURIC have been calling for their release since 2015. We have issued several statements on the matter but to no avail. What kind of people are we in this country? How can we leave our heroes to rot in jail? How can we allow the defenders of our territorial integrity to suffer years of alienation and deprivation?
“The leadership of MURIC went beyond issuing press statements on this matter. We met Vice President Yemi Osinbajo during his visit to Lagos around November 2018 and tabled the case of the 54 soldiers before him.
“The Vice President showed understanding and requested that we should send a petition to his office. We did that within one week and his office responded. We were hopeful. That was about six months ago. Justice delayed is justice denied.
“The Presidential Committee on Prisons Reform and Decongestion (PCPRD) which was inaugurated on Tuesday 28th August 2018 has freed about 5,000 prisoners but not a single one of them is among the 54 soldiers. The PCPRD, headed by Justice Ishaq Bello, has reportedly visited 15 states. We are not certain that the committee has seen the 54 soldiers.
“There is no better time for President Muhammadu Buhari to invoke the prerogative of mercy on the 54 soldiers than now. The month of Ramadan is the month of mercy. It is the month of giving and sharing.”
Dailypost recalls that the soldiers were rounded up in 2014 when they allegedly complained to their commander that their weapons were too poor to confront better equipped Boko Haram fighters. They had reportedly lost 23 men and four officers due to poor equipment when they advanced on Damboa on July 9, 2014.