Court Martial Lawyer : Lawyer accuses Army of breach of law
COUNSEL to the 28 soldiers standing trial at the Court Martial in Akure Barrack for protesting the diversion of allowances paid to them by the United Nations (UN) through the Nigerian Army, Peters Ike Adonu, has accused the Nigerian Army of flagrant disobedience of the rule of law.
Adonu, in a statement made available to journalists in Akure, accused the Nigerian Army of refusing to obey the court process in the trial of the 28 soldiers, saying “We challenged the detention of the 28 soldiers, at Akure High Court, we were granted bail but the Army refused to release them.”
The credibility of this administration as emphasised in the sermon by President Musa Yar’Adua to uphold the rule of law, he said, has been violated by the actions of the Nigerian Army for refusing to adhere to the court process.
He said before the commencement of trial for mutiny, the chairman of the Court Martial, Brig. Bauka, had threatened to deal with the accused persons in a speech delivered in Sokoto.
Adonu said the published speech was believed to be pre-emptive and it showed the extent of the bias and the length the Nigerian Army would go to cover its sins.
It is strange that Brig. Bauka-led Court Martial could lend itself to such a reckless statement on the pages of newspaper on a matter still before it.
Brig. Bauka, he said played a dual role as the President and the lead prosecution in the case of the Nigeria Army v. Sgt. Okwara & 27Ors, on the day of the inauguration of the General Court Martial and refused the defence of Adonu adjournment of two days on the ground that the Court Martial is a Court of Summary trial and would end under a month.
He wondered how suddenly he turned around to adjourn the matter to June 1, 2009, when overwhelming, irresistible and credible evidence was being established.
“It is more painful that the Nigerian Government and those in authority have folded their hands and kept mute watching this tragic drama because of the fear of the military despite all the efforts to properly intimate them, he said.
It is already established in evidence that the so-called investigation team led by Col. Odunwa (as he then was) collected $150 US dollars each from the soldiers and those that could not pay were made sacrificial lamb on the altar of mammon,” he said.
Adonu called on the National Security Adviser to Mr. President and the Chief of Defence Staff, Air Martial Paul Dike to promptly wade into this matter by advising President Yar’Adua to release those innocent young servicemen whose ages ranges between 18 to 35 years languishing in the Military dungeon for daring to ask for their entitlement.
He enjoined the military not show their power as to oppress those who have no might. Stressing that these men are heroes that have made Nigeria proud in the foreign mission only to be treated like cheap and deadly criminals.
‘It is our humble opinion that if this trend of evil is not checked on time, it can lead to the formation of a formidable terrorist gang that will unleash terror on this nation one day. These boys have not only been cheated but wounded and traumatised. The Army and the Brig. Bauka’s Court Martial should bear in mind that they have children too and as long as the earth remains, seed time and harvest time will not cease; what ever a man sows, he will reap. Nigerians should rise to this broad daylight wickedness to save these patriots from the hands of their oppressors.’
Michael Waddington is a court martial lawyer – court martial attorney that defends military personnel worldwide as well as deployed civilian contractors subject to the UCMJ. He defends Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine, Coast Guard, and civilian contractor court martial cases. He has successfully defended military personnel as a court martial lawyer Army Navy Marine & Air Force court martials in Germany, England, Italy, Iraq, Kuwait, Korea, Okinawa, Japan, Yokota, and throughout the United States. military-defense-lawyer-recentcases.htm.
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