4 soldiers sentenced to life imprisonment for selling weapons to terrorist, bandits

A Special Court-Martial of the Nigerian Army has convicted four soldiers for their involvement in arms and ammunition racketeering, as well as aiding terrorism in the country’s northeast.

The court, presided over by Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander of Sector 1, Operation Hadin Kai (OPHK), found the soldiers guilty on multiple charges.

The offences included theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, mishandling of service property, and providing assistance to the enemy. All the charges are punishable under the Armed Forces Act (AFA) CAP A20, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria 2004.

Delivering judgment at the Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess in Maiduguri, the Court President, Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, sentenced Sgt. Rapheal Ameh, Sgt. Ejiga Musa, and LCpl Patrick Ocheje to life imprisonment, while Cpl. Omitoye Rufus was given 15 years imprisonment after they pleaded guilty to multiple charges.

Documentary evidence revealed that Sgt. Ameh, an armourer with 7 Division Garrison, conspired with the late LCpl. Ogbogo Isaac to divert ammunition from the Division’s arms store.

He reportedly worked with officers of the 30 Police Mobile Force (PMF), concealing weapons in bags of beans and transporting them to Enugu and Ebonyi States for criminals.

Records also showed Ameh received payments for the illegal deals through over 100 bank transactions between July 2022 and June 2024.

Sgt. Ejiga Musa, armourer of 195 Battalion, was found guilty of collaborating with LCpl. Ocheje and PMF personnel to sell an AK-47 rifle and large quantities of ammunition, for which he received over ₦500,000.

He was caught while attempting to sell more ammunition to a police officer.

Cpl. Rufus was convicted for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm special ammunition, while LCpl. Ocheje was found guilty of diverting weapons from Forward Operating Base Molai to militias during communal clashes, and of stealing an AK-47 rifle from a fellow soldier.

The court ruled that their actions directly endangered troops and compromised national security, amounting to “aiding the enemy.”

Brig.-Gen. Abdullahi described the convicted soldiers as “bad eggs,” stressing that their betrayal of trust and discipline was unacceptable. He reiterated the Army’s zero-tolerance stance on the illegal sale of arms to adversaries in any form.