13th May, 2019
PRESS RELEASE:
54 SOLDIERS: SHOW THEM MERCY THIS RAMADAN
The Muslim Rights
Concern (MURIC) has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to grant presidential
pardon to the 54 soldiers who are currently serving a 10-year jail term.
The Islamic human
rights organization made the appeal in a press statement issued on Monday, 13th
May, 2019. The statement was signed by MURIC’s Founder and Director, Professor
Ishaq Akintola.
According
to MURIC, the 54 soldiers were rounded up in 2014 when they complained to their
commander that their weapons were too poor to confront better equipped Boko
Haram fighters. They had earlier lost 23 men and four officers due to poor
equipment when they advanced on Damboa on 9thJuly, 2014. This made
them to demand better supplies when they were ordered to return to the battle
front again without improved weaponry. They were consequently tried and
sentenced to death but this was later commuted to ten years imprisonment. They
are still in jail as we speak.
According
to MURIC, “The Muslim Rights Concern is deeply concerned about the plight of
these heroes of Nigeria who have been wrongly treated. Yes, we strongly believe
that they have been wrongly treated. They had defended Nigeria on several
fronts before the incident. Their comrades fell on the battle field in their
presence.
“While other soldiers knew that money
meant for weapons were being syphoned into private pockets of top officers but
chose to remain quiet, the gallantry and patriotism in the 54 soldiers motivated
them to speak up and demand better weapons. Their demand actually exposed the
rot in the top military hierarchy regarding the high level corruption involving
the diversion of funds meant for weapons.
“It
was the eye-opener that led to the popular case of $2.1 billion weapons fund
diverted to the 2015 electioneering campaign by the then ruling party. It is
therefore paradoxical that the 54 soldiers who exposed corruption in the
military are now rotting in jail.
“We
in MURIC have been calling for their release since 2015. We have issued several
statements on the matter but to no avail. What kind of people are we in this
country? How can we leave our heroes to rot in jail? How can we allow the defenders
of our territorial integrity to suffer years of alienation and deprivation?”
The
organization revealed that it had met the Nigerian Vice President on the matter
and also sent a petition to his office at Aso Rock.
Akintola said, “The leadership of MURIC
went beyond issuing press statements on this matter. We met Vice President Yemi
Osinbajo during his visit to Lagos around November 2018 and tabled the case of
the 54 soldiers before him. The Vice President showed understanding and
requested that we should send a petition to his office. We did that within one
week and his office responded. We were hopeful. That was about six months ago.
Justice delayed is justice denied.
“But
today our hope is diminishing. It is melting away like ice cream in the hot sun.
These innocent soldiers have already spent five years in custody. The Presidential Committee on Prisons Reform and Decongestion (PCPRD) which
was inaugurated on Tuesday 28th August, 2018 has freed about 5,000
prisoners but not a single one of them is among the 54 soldiers. The PCPRD, headed
by Justice Ishaq Bello, has reportedly visited 15 states. We are not certain
that the committee has seen the 54 soldiers.
“There is no better time for President Muhammadu
Buhari to invoke the prerogative of mercy on the 54 soldiers than now. The
month of Ramadan is the month of mercy. It is the month of giving and sharing.
The Prophet of Mercy, Muhammad the Son of Abdullahi said, ‘Show mercy to those
on earth so that those in heaven will show mercy unto you’. He also said, ‘The
beginning of Ramadan is blessing and mercy, its middle is forgiveness while its
end brings freedom’.
“MURIC calls on ‘Sai Baba’ as his numerous
fans call him not only to manifest mercy towards the 54 soldiers this Ramadan
but to actually actualise it. Mr. President, Sir, show mercy to the 54 soldiers
this 2019 Ramadan. It will also be a good initiative if President Buhari makes
presidential pardon an annual Ramadan policy when large numbers of prisoners
are set free.
“We also recommend
this for all Muslim governors at state level. Other future Muslim presidents
should also take the cue. Christian presidents and Christian governors should
set large numbers of prisoners free during the lent and Christmas seasons. This
will help to decongest our notorious prisons. But the significance of this
gesture is to give hope to the hopeless, relief to the aggrieved and to show
kindness to humanity. It gives a human face to governance.
“To conclude this advocacy, we call on President Muhammadu
Buhari to invoke his prerogative of mercy to set the 54 soldiers free during
this Ramadan. We renew our appeal to the Vice President, Professor Yemi
Osinbajo, to step up the petition on his table. We appeal to the chairman and
the distinguished members of the Justice Bello reform committee to give the 54
soldiers a hearing. They have suffered more than enough.
“This is about the
good name of Nigeria. It is about the essence of patriotism. It is about our
values and norms as a people. Nigerians must be able to beat their chests and
say, ‘Yes, our country rewards patriots.’ Not the other way round. Never again
shall we compel young Nigerians to leave our shores in desperation. Never again
shall we castigate excellence while we reward mediocrity, indolence and
corruption. Never again shall we take actions capable of killing the gallantry
in our soldiers. Never again…”
Professor Ishaq Akintola,
Director,
Muslim Rights Concern
(MURIC)
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