Army Dismisses Allegations Of Freeing Northern Soldiers Facing Trial.

Nigerian Army has dismissed claims of favoritism towards soldiers of northern origin in the trial of erring personnel in Enugu State.

Twenty-five soldiers and an officer were court-martialed at the 82 Division of the army for various offences in October 2023, and there were allegations that two soldiers from the North being tried for murder had been freed and re-absorbed into service, while their counterparts from the South were being convicted.

One of the soldiers alleged to have been favoured was identified as Pte Usan Shonva, and while, reacting to the allegation in a statement, the Director, Army Public Relations, Major-General Onyema Nwachukwu, accused those behind the allegation of trying to cause disunity.

The statement said, the Nigerian Army has noted the appalling misinformation being circulated by an online media platform, that some allegedly aggrieved soldiers who were recently arraigned before a Court Martial in 82 Division, Enugu, expressed concern that there was a deliberate effort to convict soldiers of southern extraction, while those from northern Nigeria were allowed to go free.

It also said, the Nigerian Army wishes to clarify and unequivocally aver that the report is entirely bereft of any strand of truth and ultimately aimed at disparaging the current leadership, using the instrumentality of ethnic and religious bigotry.