Date Published: 06/29/09
30th June 2009. Press Release.
LAGOS AC CONDEMNS LIFE SENTENCE FOR 27 SOLDIERS.
The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress has condemned the life imprisonment handed over to 27 soldiers for demanding the payment of their entitlements as a perversion of both the military laws and the laws of the land. The party says the action is inhuman and called for the immediate rescinding of that decision for the interest of the dehumanized soldiers.
In a release in Lagos, signed by the party’s Lagos State Publicity Secretary of the AC, Joe Igbokwe, Lagos AC said it is shocked that such laws, whether by the military or any other institution, that condemns people to such inhuman punishment just for demanding for fair treatment, is abhorrent and mocks the essence of justice. It warns that enforcing that sentence will only breed an unjust order, which will serve the bestial wishes of those that love to sabotage human freedom and install tyranny in the Nigerian society.
“We are surprised that soldiers who have served their fatherland in a peace-keeping operation but had their entitlements withheld are being doubly punished in such heartless manner as to send them to life jail for asking for their entitlements. We are surprised that such obsolete and retrogressive law that rather promotes the growth of tyranny and dictatorship is being promoted in a democratic society and at this very age in human development.
“Lagos AC is clearly taken aback that the military is dishing out this kind of law that takes back the gains humanity has gained against tyrants and outlaws. We are sad that soldiers that risked their lives to fight for the country are being treated in such clearly witch hunting manner and made to suffer life injuries for asking for their just rewards from their services. We are not happy that the 27 soldiers are being so dealt for not causing any serious threat to either the country’s security or the interests of other officers. We view this as gross injustice and callous injury, which the Nigerian Army must redress with the speed it requires before it becomes a scandal.
“We condemn this act of justice against 27 Nigerian soldiers and call on all men of goodwill to rise against such acts of impunity against our fellow Nigerians. We rather call for a full investigation into the allegation that some officers who may have instigated this callous punishment for them misappropriated the entitlements of these soldiers. We call that the military authorities and the government should get to the root of the matter and fish out those responsible for the non-payment of these entitlements. We believe that they are more deserving candidates for life jail than poor soldiers asking for the reward for their services.
“As a starting point, Lagos AC calls for the release of these 27 soldiers and we recommend that should they have breached any military law, they should be discharged from the army to lead a normal civil life and not be condemned to life imprisonment. We call on all other Nigerians to join us in this just demand to save the soul of these soldiers.”
Joe Igbokwe.
Publicity Secretary,
Lagos AC.
