Borno: Court Martial sentences four soldiers to life imprisonment for aiding enemy, arms racketeering
A Special Court Martial in Maiduguri has convicted four soldiers for arms and ammunition racketeering, as well as aiding and abetting the enemy.
The court, convened by the Acting General Officer Commanding 7 Division Nigerian Army and Sector 1 Operation Hadin Kai, OPHK, Brigadier General Ugochukwu Unachukwu, delivered its verdict on September 18, 2025, at the Headquarters Theatre Command Officers’ Mess.
President of the Court, Brigadier General Mohammed Abdullahi, announced that Sergeants Rapheal Ameh and Ejiga Musa, along with Lance Corporal Patrick Ocheje, were sentenced to life imprisonment, while Corporal Omitoye Rufus received 15 years.
They were found guilty of theft, unlawful dealing in ammunition, offences relating to service property, and aiding the enemy, crimes punishable under the Armed Forces Act, AFA, Laws of the Federation of Nigeria, LFN, CAP A20 2004.
Evidence showed that Sergeant Ameh, while serving as an armourer with 7 Division Garrison, conspired with accomplices to steal ammunition, smuggling them in bags of beans to Enugu and Ebonyi States. He allegedly received proceeds through more than 100 bank transactions between July 2022 and June 2024.
Similarly, Sergeant Musa was found guilty of conspiring with Lance Corporal Ocheje and a Police Mobile Force officer to sell an AK-47 rifle and large quantities of ammunition, collecting over N500,000 before being caught.
Corporal Rufus was convicted for selling 40 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition, while Ocheje was found guilty of pilfering ammunition for militias during communal crises and stealing an AK-47 rifle from a colleague.
The court ruled that their actions endangered troops, undermined operations, and amounted to aiding the enemy. Brigadier General Abdullahi condemned the soldiers’ conduct as a betrayal of trust and discipline, stressing that the Nigerian Army maintains zero tolerance for misconduct and unprofessional practices.
He reaffirmed the Army’s commitment to accountability, justice, and professionalism, warning that any soldier caught selling arms or aiding adversaries would face severe punishment.
