Two soldiers, Eric Nwokere and Macaulay Fortune, who are both serving in the counter-insurgency operation in the North-East, were on Wednesday slammed with 23 years imprisonment for charges bordering on unlawful possession of Fire Arms punishable under Section 27 (1) (a & b) (i & ii) of the Firearms Act.
They were sentenced by a General Court Marshal sitting in 7 Division Garrison Pompomari, Maiduguri, Borno State.
The Deputy Director Army Public Relations 7 Division, Lt.-Col. Kingsley Samuel, said in a statement, that as at the time of arrest, the convicts were in possession of five empty AK-47 rifle magazines and 20,136 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition at Jumputu Motor Park, Jimeta, Yola, Adamawa State, while boarding a commercial vehicle to an unknown destination.
He stated that another soldier, Corporal Garba Saidu, who was arrested and charged for illegal possession of 2,800 rounds of 7.2mm (Special) ammunition, got a 10-year jail term for unlawful possession of ammunition.
He was arrested after discovering the ammunition hidden in a poultry farm near Tipper Garage in Maiduguri metropolis, said to belong to a serving Nigerian Policeman.
President of the General Court Marshal, Lt.-Col. Adamu Hassan said the decision of the court was arrived after close of submissions by both the prosecution and defense counsels.
He said the prosecution has proven the case beyond reasonable doubt in line with the burden of proof on the prosecutor to prove all criminal case beyond reasonable doubt.
It would be recalled that the 7 Division General Court Marshal was inaugurated to try misconduct committed by officers and men fighting insurgency in the North East.