Pleas for clemency trail soldiers’ death sentence

The soldiers were among 18 said to have become angry when they saw the bodies of 12 of their colleagues being brought back from Chibok, where they were killed by militants who had ambushed a convoy of soldiers returning from anti-terrorism duties. They reportedly shot several times into the air and called senior officers “cowards”, […]

The soldiers were among 18 said to have become angry when they saw the bodies of 12 of their colleagues being brought back from Chibok, where they were killed by militants who had ambushed a convoy of soldiers returning from anti-terrorism duties. They reportedly shot several times into the air and called senior officers “cowards”, accusing them of deliberately putting them in harm’s way.
The following day, the Army leadership removed Gen Muhammed and eventually retired him from service.
The court martial, headed by Brigadier-General Chukwuemeka Okonkwo, sentenced the 12 soldiers to death by firing squad, discharged and acquitted five others and sentenced another, Jeremiah Echocho, said to have gone AWOL (absent without leave) to 28 days imprisonment with hard labour.
The death sentence made the social media heavy with traffic as critics who felt that the judgment was too harsh commented on it. This is what some of them had to say:
Bambam: They should not start a disaster in the Army. Other senior Army commanders should be tried and sentenced for withholding the allowances of their men and for not providing them ammunitions, as well as for poor tactical commands and decisions that led to the high volume of deaths of soldiers under their command.
Sani Ojeah Esq: Discipline is okay but caution from our beloved Army is necessary. Let them consider equity thoroughly. It will be unfair to condemn these people to death. We don’t want unnecessary blood shedding. The President should ensure the judgment is mitigated.
Agbobu: But we were told by the authorities that there was no mutiny when the news first broke out. What a nation! What a people!!
Agu: Kangaroo justice as usual. Where on earth do you send a child to a farm without giving him cutlass and still want to punish him for not doing his work. When will the boss at the top assume responsibility for his reckless action?
Uche Kalu: Look at the rush in condemning these solders, whereas the origin and the root cause of the matter is yet, and will probably not be investigated, even after possibly executing the judgment. They should not even try that. The soldiers only expressed their anger, but not premeditated. We’re in a democratic era, not military, where the Army authorities could do anything about themselves anyhow.
Mamah Franklin: This is a wrong time for capital punishment for these Nigerian heroes. President Jonathan should have a serious re-think and not inflame the military.