European Union joins growing number of objectors to Nigeria's planned execution of 12 soldiers

European  Union (EU) officials have rejected the death sentence recently handed out to 12 Nigerian soldiers for mutiny by a nine-member military tribunal which sat in Abuja that found them guilty.   Last month, 12 Nigerian soldiers were sentenced to death by a general court martial after they were found guilty of mutiny following an incident on May 14 this year when they fired shots at the commanding officer in Maiduguri. They had opened fire on Major General Ahmed Mohammmed, the general officer commanding of the Seventh Mechanised Division of the Nigerian Army in Maiduguri after four of their colleagues had been killed in a Boko Haram ambush.

  Their sentencing has attracted widespread criticism within Nigeria and now the EU has added its voice to those opposed to the execution of the soldiers. Yesterday on the occasion of the World Day Against the Death Penalty, the EU condemned the sentences especially after mass trials as was the case with the Nigerian soldiers.   EU secretary-general, Thorbjørn Jagland, said: “On the European and World Day Against the Death Penalty, the European Union and the Council of Europe reaffirm their strong and absolute opposition to capital punishment in all cases and under all circumstances and their commitment to its worldwide abolition. We are deeply concerned about setbacks in some countries, such as recent mass trials leading to a vast number of death sentences.   "No execution has taken place in our member states in the last 17 years. We welcome the fact that all EU member states have now ratified both Protocols 6 and 13 to the European Convention on Human Rights and urge all other European states that have not yet done so to sign and ratify these instruments which aim at the abolition of the death penalty.”   Earlier this week, Nigeria's chief of defence staff Air Chief Marshal Alex Badeh, indicated that the 12 soldiers could be executed on the battlefield as a way of getting round the public opposition to their convictions. He added that the military ensured adherence to the provisions of the constitution in carrying out the court martial.   According to Air Chief Marshal Badeh,  there was no provision for constructive mutiny in the Nigerian Army as all military personnel took the oath of office to first obey orders given to them. He added that there was nothing wrong with the decision to court-martial soldiers for various offences committed in the on-going operations against Boko Haram.

source: Nigerian watch