Dayo Johnson
10 October 2008
Five top Army officers yesterday accused the 28 soldiers standing trial for mutiny in Akure of behaving unprofessionally on the day of the riot. They equally blamed the riot on impatience on the part of the suspects who allegedly threw caution into the winds.
Testifying against the 28 suspects at the resumed trial at 323 Artillery Regiment, Akure, they fingered the soldiers as those that caused the breach of peace in Akure on July 4 this year.
The five officers also participated in the peace-keeping mission in Liberia with the 28 soldiers standing trail for mutiny.
The officers are Lt.-Col. Godwin Umelo, the former Commanding Officer of the 323 Artillery Regiment, Akure; Major F. F. Chile, Lt.-Col. C. J. Momoh, Lt. T. Araki and Lt. Bala Musa.
They told the Brigadier-General Ishaya Bauka-led court martial that the suspects participated individually and severally in the riot that rocked the metropolis over their unpaid allowances after returning from Liberia.
Musa, who is a member of the 525 Signal Regiment, Ibadan, said he came to Akure that day to collect his operations allowance where he identified one Lance Corporal Pascal Stephen as one of the soldiers who mounted illegal road block on the Akure-Ondo Highway and prevented easy passage of vehicles on the day of the riot.
He added that one Private Salihu Ibrahim was one of the soldiers who threw caution to the winds when the Finance Corps pleaded with them to wait till Monday July 7 to collect their full operations allowances.
Under cross-examination by the defence counsel-Morakinyo Ogele and Peter Adonu, the witness told the court that he did not know Stephen by name when the riot broke out but later found out because he was rude to an officer.
Musa blamed the finance corps for making a mistake by paying the compulsory savings of the troops from 72 Para-Battalion, Makurdi twice.
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