BARRISTER FALANA,FILED A PETITION IN FAVOUR OF THE 12 SOLDIERS SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MUTINY ''INJUSTICE''.

                   The soldiers on May 18,2014 staged a protest over the killing of 10 of their colleagues by the Boko Haram sect.This led to the shooting of the General Officer Commanding {GOC},Major General Ahmed Mohammed at the Maimalari cantonment.Although he was not injured,but he was removed as GOC and retired from the Army for not attending to the grievances of the soldiers.18 of the soldiers were tried by the court martial,presided over by Brigadier General Chukwuemeka Okonkwo which acquitted five of them,convicted and sentenced 12 to death and jailed one for 28 days with hard labour.Falana in the petition dated December 5,2014 argued that the death sentence pronounced on the 12 officers was unjust against the background of their action.He noted in the petition that the soldiers had been protesting against poor equipment,non payment of salaries and allowances.Falana stated that the fact that President Goodluck Jonathan had asked for $1bn loan to purchase military hardware for the purpose of prosecuting the war on terror meant that the soldiers protest was justified.Falana said in the petition that ''Soldiers who were demanding for weapons to fight the satanic Boko Haram troops cannot,by any stretch of imagination,be said to have committed the offence of mutiny.By this petition,we appeal to the Chief of Army staff as confirming authority to disapprove the finding of guilt and death sentence passed  on the 12 convicted soldiers on the ground that the judgement of the General court martial cannot be justified as it is characterized by grave errors of law which occassioned miscarriage of justice.We pray the confirming authorities to temper justice with mercy by granting the convicts full pardon.Even though they were ill equipped and ill motivated,they had fought the Boko Haram troops with courage,commitment and loyalty to their country.