A GENERAL Court Martial (GCM) sitting at the Nigerian Army’s 82 Division Headquarters in Enugu has sentenced Private Adamu Mohammed to death by hanging for the murder of his girlfriend, Miss Hauwa Ali.
Another soldier, Private Abubakar Yusuf, was sentenced to 10 years imprisonment for armed robbery in a separate judgment.
The unanimous judgment, which was delivered on Tuesday, April 29, by President of the GCM, Brig-Gen. Sadisu Buhari, followed a rigorous trial process that began after the court’s inauguration on February 18, this year, by the General Officer Commanding (GOC) the Division, Maj-Gen. Oluyemi Olatoye.
Mohammed was found guilty under Section 106(a) of the Armed Forces Act, Cap A20 LFN 2004, for deliberately taking the life of his partner, an act the court described as a grave violation of military ethics and a blemish on the Nigerian Army’s values.
Buhari declared that “in the interest of societal decorum and justice for the deceased, the law must be applied to its fullest.”
The court arrived at the verdict after careful deliberation, including reviews of his service record and pleas for leniency by his legal team.
In the case of Yusuf, he was convicted of robbing a mall within Enugu. The GCM held that while his action warranted severe punishment, lack of unanimity among the panel on applying the maximum sentence led to a reduced 10-year term, in line with Section 140(3) of the Armed Forces Act.
Both verdicts are subject to confirmation from the appropriate military authority.
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