Innocent Anaba
15 September 2008
The 22 wounded Nigerian ECOWAS Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) soldiers, who were in April this year, ordered reinstated by President Musa Yar'Adua, have alleged that the army authorities is yet to obey the President's directive, as they have neither been paid any salary or quartered, five months after the directive.The soldiers are further complaining that the army authorities is in contempt of the Supreme Court judgement, which had affirmed the judgement of the Court of Appeal, which quashed their conviction and sentence by a Military Court Martial.
The soldiers, in a fresh petition by their counsel, Mr Adindu Ugwuzor, to President Yar'Adua said, "When the soldiers got to Army headquarters Garrison, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja, after the Chief of Army Staff had informed them of their reinstatement, they found that the military authorities made no provision for the purpose of receiving or re-absorbing them into the army as directed in the judgement of the Supreme Court and President Yar'Adua and after waiting for three weeks, on the prompting of one Colonel D. Enetie, they were given documents which showed that they had been re-absorbed into the Army and thereafter asked to fill some forms, Form 9B, indicating their voluntary withdrawal from the army."
According to the petition, "The military authorities made no arrangement for their evacuation for medical treatment as directed in the judgement, and in view of their poor and precarious states of health, they were compelled to seek medical attention outside the army headquarters, Abuja and till date, nothing has been paid to them out of their outstanding salaries and allowances contrary to the judgement of court."
The petition further said, "It is due to the seriousness of the condition of our clients and the precarious nature of their circumstances that we once again appeal to you (Mr President) to prevail on the Chief of Army Staff to take necessary steps for the immediate full compliance with the judgement of the Supreme Court, by the evacuation of the soldiers for further medical attention and payment of their outstanding salaries and allowances."
The soldiers are also calling for the restoration of their rights and privileges due them from the army.
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