UPDATE: Soldiers accused of mutiny plead not guilty

  All 59 soldiers arraigned pleaded not guilty to the two count charges against them after being read by the judge advocate of the court.   On the first charge they were accused of conspiring to commit mutiny around 4th August at Malai primary school.   And that on the same day committed mutiny when […]

 

All 59 soldiers arraigned pleaded not guilty to the two count charges against them after being read by the judge advocate of the court.

 

On the first charge they were accused of conspiring to commit mutiny around 4th August at Malai primary school.

 

And that on the same day committed mutiny when they refused orders by the commanding officer of 111 battalion to go on a mission to recapture Bulabuli and Damboa captured by boko haram.

 

The trial of soldiers charged took off this morning in Abuja.

The prosecuting team has gone into a second recess at the Mogadishu cantonment Abuja, Daily Trust reporter said.

Fifty nine of the 97 soldiers brought from the 7 division in Maiduguri are to be arraigned today on two charges: conspiracy to commit mutiny and mutiny respectively.

The prosecution counsel Captain Joseph Nwosu asked the court for an extra 20 minutes to enable the prosecution serve the accused persons with amended charges against the 59 persons.

Earlier, the defence lawyers had asked for an hour recess to converge and discuss the amendment of charges originally listed for 60 accused persons before being reduced to 59.

The prosecution had told the court that one of the accused originally listed in the charge sheet Lance Corporal Anthony Simon is critically ill and could not be arraigned on health grounds.