In separate rulings in January and March, 2015, military tribunals had sentenced 66 soldiers to death by firing squad for offences that included criminal conspiracy, conspiracy to commit mutiny, mutiny, attempt to commit murder, disobedience to orders, insubordinate behavior and false accusation. Separate court martial tribunals had imposed the death sentences in a trial that involved 71 soldiers as defendants.
In a statement released today by Colonel Sani Kukasheka Usman, the acting director of public relations for the Nigerian Army, the military revealed that the capital punishments had been reduced to 10 years imprisonment for each convicted soldier.
