A General Court Martial, sitting in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Friday, sentenced a soldier, Lance Corporal John Godwin, serving in Operation Lafiya Dole, to death, for killing five rescued civilians in the Yamteke area of the state, during investigation.
This is just as some other soldiers were jailed by the same court for various offences, ranging from manslaughter to illegal possession of fire arms and ammunition.
The soldier was charged with murder, which is punishable under Section 106 (a) of Armed Forces Acts (Cap A20), Laws of the Federation of Nigeria (LFN) 2004.
The spokesperson for the 7 Division, Kingsley Samuel, who confirmed the sentence, said that “the civilians were earlier rescued by troops of the soldier’s battalion and were taken for investigation at the time the soldier shot and killed five of them.
“Another soldier, Sergeant Innocent Ototo, was sentenced to life imprisonment for manslaughter after torturing and killing a 13-year-old boy, whom he said stole his phone, at Zamanbari area of Maiduguri metropolis.”
