Aug 29 2009
ABUJA (AFP) - The Nigerian army Saturday commuted to seven years the life imprisonment earlier imposed on 27 soldiers for mutiny after they protested over pay, an army spokesman told journalists.
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"The sentence of life imprisonment given to all the convicted soldiers has been commuted to seven years imprisonment," Brigadier General Christopher Olukolade said.

A military court had last April 27 sentenced the soldiers, including three women, who had served as UN peacekeeepers in Liberia, to life imprisonment following their protest.

The soldiers had staged the demonstration in Akure, capital of southwestern Ondo State in July last year.

The court found them guilty of mutiny for protesting over not getting paid their foreign mission allowances when they served in Liberia between 2007 and 2008.

Olukolade said the commutation of their sentence was based on the "plea of mitigation" by the soldiers' lawyers and "army's attempt to achieve justice and equity in the delivery of justice."

The soldiers still have the right to appeal the army decision, he said.

Their lawyer, Femi Falana, said the commutation was "a confirmation that their sentence was a charade."

"We shall challenge this at the court of appeal when the court resumes from break and when the record of proceeding at the trial is made available to us," Falana told AFP.

The lawyer accused some Nigerian officials of diverting the allowance money.

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