A SPECIAL Court Martial sitting in Maiduguri has sentenced three Nigerian Army personnel to life imprisonment for stealing and selling weapons and ammunition to criminals and groups classified as enemies of the state.
The convicted soldiers are Rapheal Ameh and Ejiga Musa, both sergeants, and a Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje. Another soldier, Omitoye Rufus, a corporal, received a 15-year jail term for same offence.
A statement on Monday, September 22, by the Acting Deputy Director of Army Public Relations 7 Division NA, Haruna Mohammed Sani, a lieutenant colonel, said the judgment was delivered on September 18, 2025, at the Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess, Maiduguri, by the President of the Special Court Martial, Mohammed Abdullahi, a brigadier general.
The court found the four soldiers guilty on multiple counts, including theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, offences relating to service property, and aiding the enemy. These offences are punishable under the Armed Forces Act, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, 2004.
Evidence presented before the court showed that Ameh, while serving as an armourer with 7 Division Garrison, conspired with the late Ogbogo Isaac, a Lance Corporal, to steal ammunition from the division’s armoury.
He allegedly collaborated with officers of the 30 Police Mobile Force, Francis Ajayi and Francis Manasseh, to conceal the arms in bags of beans and transport them to Enugu and Ebonyi states, where they were sold to criminal networks.
Records admitted in court indicated that Ameh received proceeds of the illicit trade through more than 100 bank transactions between July 2022 and June 2024.
For Musa, the court found that while serving as the main armourer of the 195 Battalion, he stole weapons and ammunition, which he sold in collaboration with Ocheje and Manasseh. Musa reportedly collected more than N500,000 from the transactions. His activities were exposed when he attempted to sell ammunition to a police inspector, Ajayi.
Similarly, Rufus was convicted of selling 40 rounds of 7.62 mm ammunition to another police officer, Enoch Nwokolobia.
Ocheje, deployed to Forward Operating Base Molai, was also persuaded by Manasseh to sell ammunition during a communal crisis. Investigations showed that he received 20 rounds of PKT ammunition from Musa to supply to a terrorist group. Ocheje was further found guilty of stealing an AK-47 rifle belonging to a colleague.
In his remarks, the President of the Special Court Martial described the illicit trade as a betrayal of the trust and honour expected of troops operating in the theatre of war. He said such acts endangered fellow soldiers, undermined national security, and amounted to aiding the enemy.
The Nigerian Army, through its spokesperson, reiterated its zero-tolerance stance for misconduct and unprofessional practices. The Army stressed that the institution remained committed to accountability, discipline, and justice to maintain public trust and morale among troops.
The verdict comes at a time when the military faces mounting pressure to safeguard armouries, prevent the diversion of weapons that fuel insecurity across the country, and prevent the killing of soldiers.
The ICIR reported that the Nigerian Army Headquarters on Tuesday, June 24, announced that bandits launched a coordinated triple attack on military bases in Niger and Kaduna states on Tuesday, June 24, resulting in the deaths of soldiers.
The Nigerian Defence Academy (NDA) also said in a post that a lieutenant and 20 soldiers died in the Niger state attack.
A reporter with the ICIR
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