Expectedly, the recent conviction and sentencing of 27 soldiers to life imprisonment on a one-count charge of mutiny by a military court attracted mixed reactions from Nigerians.
The soldiers were part of the 850-member 14th Nigerian Battalion (NIBATT 14) drawn from across military formations in the country to participate in the United Nations (UN) mission in Liberia from September 2007 and April 2008, who were accused of taking part in a demonstration against a shortfall in their peacekeeping allowances. It was reported that the protest, some nine months ago, in the Owena Barracks of the 323 Artillery Brigade, paralysed business activities around Ondo Road, Akure, as hundreds of soldiers blocked the highway and set up bonfires, sang war songs and condemned their superior officers.
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