A Special Court-Martial sitting in Maiduguri has convicted four Nigerian soldiers for aiding Boko Haram and engaging in illegal arms trading.
The soldiers were found guilty of stealing and selling military weapons and ammunition to terrorists and criminal groups.
The court, set up by Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Sector 1 of Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), charged the soldiers under multiple provisions of the Armed Forces Act (AFA), CAP A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Delivering judgment at the Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess, Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, President of the Special Court-Martial, sentenced Sgt Raphael Ameh, Sgt Ejiga Musa, and LCpl Patrick Ocheje to life imprisonment. Another soldier, Cpl Omitoye Rufus, received 15 years behind bars.
How They Carried Out the Crime
Investigations revealed shocking details of how the soldiers smuggled weapons to criminals and insurgents.
Sgt Raphael Ameh, an armourer with 7 Division Garrison, conspired with late LCpl Ogbogo Isaac to steal ammunition from the division’s arms store.
Evidence showed he worked with Inspector Francis Ajayi and Francis Manasseh of the Police Mobile Force (PMF) to hide weapons in bags of beans and transport them to Enugu and Ebonyi States.
He reportedly received payments through over 100 bank transactions between July 2022 and June 2024.
Sgt Ejiga Musa, an armourer with 195 Battalion, stole AK-47 rifles and ammunition, collaborating with LCpl Patrick Ocheje and police officers to sell them.
Records revealed he received over ₦500,000 from these transactions before he was caught while attempting to sell ammunition to Inspector Ajayi.
Cpl Omitoye Rufus was convicted for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition to Inspector Enoch Nwokolobia.
LCpl Patrick Ocheje, deployed at Forward Operating Base Molai, conspired with Inspector Manasseh to sell stolen ammunition during communal crises.
He also stole an AK-47 rifle belonging to a fellow soldier.
Court’s Verdict
The Special Court-Martial held that their actions directly endangered troops, undermined military operations, and compromised national security.
Brig.-Gen. Abdullahi described them as “bad eggs” who betrayed the trust and honour of the Nigerian Army.
“The Nigerian Army maintains zero tolerance for personnel who aid the enemy or trade weapons under any guise,” Abdullahi declared.
This case comes at a time when Nigeria continues to battle Boko Haram and other armed groups across the North-East.
Security analysts say the convictions highlight the dangers of insider betrayal in the fight against terrorism, warning that such actions prolong the insurgency and put civilians at risk.
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