A Special Court Martial of the Nigerian Army sitting in Maiduguri, Borno State, has sentenced three soldiers to life imprisonment and another to 15 years in jail for illegally diverting arms and ammunition to criminals and militias.
The trial, which followed months of investigation, was convened by the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division and Commander, Sector 1 Operation HADIN KAI, Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu.
The judgment was delivered on September 18, 2025, at the Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess in Maiduguri.
Those convicted are Sergeant Raphael Ameh, Sergeant Ejiga Musa, and Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje, who all bagged life sentences, while Corporal Omitoye Rufus was jailed 15 years.
Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, who presided over the tribunal, ruled that the soldiers were guilty of theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, and aiding the enemy—serious offences under the Armed Forces Act, CAP A20 LFN 2004.
Court documents revealed that Sgt. Ameh, an armourer with 7 Division Garrison, worked with the late Lance Corporal Ogbogo Isaac and some Police Mobile Force (PMF) operatives to siphon ammunition from the armoury.
The weapons were concealed in bags of beans and transported to Enugu and Ebonyi States for use by criminals. Bank records showed over 100 suspicious transactions linked to Ameh between July 2022 and June 2024.
Similarly, Sgt. Ejiga, armourer with 195 Battalion, conspired with LCpl. Ocheje and Inspector Francis Manasseh of 30 PMF to sell an AK-47 rifle and large caches of ammunition.
He was arrested while attempting to sell weapons to another PMF operative.
Cpl. Omitoye was convicted for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition to Inspector Enoch Nwokolobia, while LCpl. Ocheje, deployed at Forward Operating Base Molai, was found guilty of repeatedly diverting ammunition to militias during communal clashes. He was also indicted for stealing a colleague’s rifle.
Delivering judgment, Brig. Gen. Abdullahi described the soldiers’ actions as “a grave betrayal of trust and discipline, a direct threat to national security, and an act of aiding the enemy.”
He warned that the Nigerian Army would not tolerate such criminality, stressing that misconduct undermines morale and tarnishes the image of the institution.
“The Nigerian Army remains committed to accountability, professionalism and justice. Misconduct will be met with stiff sanctions, while gallantry and professionalism will be duly rewarded,” Abdullahi declared.
The Army reaffirmed its zero-tolerance policy for arms diversion, vowing that officers who compromise their oath of service would face the full weight of the law.
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