Two soldiers sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for abducting and extorting civilian
Two soldiers, Sergeant Aliyu Hassan and Corporal Nasiru Bello, have been sentenced to serve 10 years in jail by the General Court Martial of the 7 Division, Nigerian Army, for abducting and extorting a civilian.
Brig. Gen. Olusegun Adesina, who sentenced the two soldiers in Maiduguri, Borno State on Tuesday, said their actions were against human rights law and unethical.
The two soldiers were taken to trial after they took one Alhaji Hassan on November 19, 2017, in his house at Ruwan Shanfi in Maiduguri, tagged him as a Boko-haram sponsor and demanded N3 million ransom.
General Adesina sentenced them to five years in jail for abduction and another five years in jail for extortion, and also ruled that they will be demoted from their ranks.
Adesina said, “having considered all pleadings by the defence counsel, on count one, you Sergeant Aliyu Hassan and Corporal Nasiru Bello, are hereby sentenced to five years in prison for abduction.
“On count two, your rank from Sergeant has been reduced to Corporal (Aliyu Hassan) and also your rank from Corporal to Private (Nasiru Bello) for illegal behaviour in uniform; count three, for extortion of N1m from the victim, you are hereby sentenced to five years in prison, respectively.”
The General Court Martial added that “the service of term shall run concurrently.”
