Weighing in on the controversy surrounding the fate of 70 pardoned soldiers found guilty of mutiny in 2015, former Nigerian Army spokesperson and retired Brigadier-General, Sani Usman on Monday argued that for them to be discharged voluntarily, they were supposed to have written to the military authorities.
Newsmata.com.ng reports that human rights lawyer and senior advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Femi Falana, who had taken up their case pro bono, had criticised the Nigerian military authorities for what he described as a failure to fully implement presidential pardons granted the 70 convicted soldiers by restoring their ranks, benefits and status.
Speaking during an interview with ARISE News on Wednesday July 2, 2025, Falana recounted how the soldiers, initially sentenced to death for alleged cowardice in the face of Boko Haram, had their sentences commuted to 10 years imprisonment by the Chief of Army Staff after petitions revealed “grave injustices” in their trials. The soldiers served the full sentence and were later pardoned in 2022 by former President Muhammadu Buhari under Section 175 of the Nigerian Constitution.
Falana argued that by the presidential pardon, “the offence had been forgiven, the consequences completely obliterated.”
He alleged that despite the soldiers agreeing to voluntarily disengage from the military after persuasion due to concerns about reintegration, the authorities wrongfully classified their discharge as compulsory and sought to calculate their entitlements only up to 2014, instead of the 2022 pardon date.
But giving his perspective on the matter during his appearance on ARISE News Morning Show, Usman who served as Director of Army Public Relations from 2015 to 2019, described the incident that led to the conviction of the soldiers as “unfortunate”, noting that “it was sheer grace of God that General Mohammed is still alive today otherwise they would have killed him”.
On the status of the soldiers, the retired general said given the circumstances of their case, “so long it’s you are leaving the military under disciplinary issues, definitely, it has to be compulsory”, arguing that given their pardon, if they wanted voluntarily retirement, they were supposed to have written to the military authorities.
He however believed that the issues in contention were legal issues that could easily be dealt with.
According to him, “The long and short of it is that in the military that I know, punishment is the last thing you will think for your subordinate. Your job and responsibility right from section commander, in fact, section 2i/c, which is a section that has about 10 men, the leadership is that you have to bring everybody on board. Punishment is the last thing.
“So, the unfortunate incident that happened in 2015 involving some soldiers at 7 Division, the story was that they made attempt,… in fact it was sheer grace of God that General Mohammed is still alive today, otherwise they would have killed him. And of course, military discipline is key. Now, they were subjected to trial, and of course the court marshal found them guilty and sentenced them to death.
“But out of sheer magnanimity, when there was change of leadership, the then Chief of Army Staff, I think the Army Council commuted it to life imprisonment. And of course they appealed to the president; the commander-in-chief; out of his wisdom, he decided to grant them amnesty.
“I know there are contentious issues they are talking about. One, the date of their disengagement from the service which is 2014 as against 2016. Then the other issue, the term ‘compulsorily discharged’. Now, I want you to understand, in this circumstance, so long it’s you are leaving the military under disciplinary issues, definitely, it has to be compulsory.
“If you want voluntary retirement, you have to write, and the Army Council and authority will assent to the fact that yes, you are voluntarily retiring. Because in the case of the soldiers, you are supposed to serve 10 years with colour, then it will be renewed. The contractual details are always there, but where there is a contravening of that, they have no choice. None of them has even written that they want to voluntarily discharge.
“And there are situations and circumstances which does not involve such people. Take for instance, those that are from the blue blood; from royalty, so to speak. When they have been appointed the regent or emir of a particular community, definitely, you write and the army, on such special circumstances will grant that of course you are going out of the system. These are legal issues that can easily be dealt with.
“But so long as you did not write, definitely you are discharged, or your retirement is going to be compulsory without the rest of the circumstances.
“And of course, the other four that have won their appeal, every kobo that is due to them up to 2016 has been paid, but effective date in that case was 2014. But I am so happy he (Falana) said he’s going to have constructive engagement with the legal department, and I believe they will work out the details”.
Brig. Gen Usman (retd) however admonished Nigerians to understand that it’s not as if the army is being punitive. “In fact, they have been magnanimous. And in any case, wherever you go, whether voluntarily or compulsorily retired, they will definitely ask of referees, so to speak.
“We have had instances like that and the long and short of it is that there are certain things papers don’t talk about. Even if you voluntarily retired, they will still look for your record”, he stated.
On the proposal by the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu for the engagement of military veterans in national security efforts, Usman said the initiative was welcome, stressing that Nigeria must harness the wealth of experience, training, and discipline of its retired service members for national development.
Describing the move as timely and essential, he however posited that the nation’s failure to utilise the skills of its veterans, much like in other sectors such as academia and journalism, was a costly oversight.
According to him, “This is a timely initiative. One of the most staying powers of the Nigerian state is human resources, and the military is one of the most experienced, one of the most trained. It is very important to harness that expertise, experience, and knowledge for the development of the country—either within the service or even outside the service. So, it’s a welcome initiative.”
The former army spokesperson explained that although similar directives existed under previous administrations, they were never fully operationalised, suggesting that “There should have been an established Veterans Affairs Department at the Ministry of Defence headed by a two-star general in conjunction with civilian staff. But it has not seen the light of day. I hope this will be followed through so that we harmonise and get the best out of our veterans”.