The Nigerian Army has refuted allegations of ethnic bias in the trial of soldiers who were recently arraigned before a Court Martial in 82 Division, Enugu.
In a statement released in Abuja on Saturday, Maj.-Gen. Onyema Nwachukwu, Director of Army Public Relations, emphasized that the Nigerian army is a unified national institution and not an ethnic militia.
Responding to media reports alleging deliberate bias in convicting soldiers from the South while those from the North are exonerated, Nwachukwu highlighted that the army is comprised of diverse personnel from across the nation.
Addressing concerns reportedly expressed by some soldiers arraigned before the court martial, he denounced the circulating misleading report, asserting that it aims to sow discord within the army and the broader Armed Forces of Nigeria.
Nwachukwu clarified that the composition of the court martial was not regionally based but diverse, with members drawn from various parts of the country.
He disclosed that the President of the Court was from the North, while the Judge Advocate hailed from the South. Additionally, he noted that 60 percent of the court martial members were from the South.
According to him, this demonstrates a fair and balanced representation, even though religion and ethnicity are not major focal criteria in the decision making process of the army.
“The decision of a court martial is collective and based on evidence presented during the trial.
“The said court martial tried the personnel, irrespective of their ethnic and religious affiliations and the outcome was determined strictly based on the evidence presented.
“In espousing the position of the Nigerian Army in the cases mentioned in the report, taking that of Pte. Usman Shonva for instance, wherein evidence revealed that there were other soldiers at the scene of the incident, who also fired their weapons.
“Hence, the court, based on this finding among others, reached the conclusion that the shot that killed the dead soldier could have been fired by any of the soldiers at the scene, thus, leading to his discharge and acquittal.
“It must be emphasised that the Nigerian Army does not task its personnel (including for court martial membership) on a regional basis in order to achieve national spread”.
“The Nigerian Army is a composite national institution and not an ethnic militia. It will therefore not bite the odious bait being dangled to induce splintering along sectional, ethnic and religious fissures.
The Army spokesperson affirmed that the court martial proceedings were conducted impartially and without bias.
He called on the publisher of the report to avoid spreading misinformation that could incite discord and friction among army personnel, as well as other services and security personnel.
“We urge the public to note the true picture and discountenance the false report published by the online media platform.
“Continued spread of the misinformation will only serve the ulterior motive of the author, which is to cause disharmony in the Nigerian army.
“The army is committed to upholding justice, equity and discipline within its ranks, and will continue to ensure that all personnel are treated fairly and in accordance with the law,” he added.