A private soldier with Nigeria Army, Azunna Mmaduabuchi has been sentenced to death by firing squad for killing an officer Lieutenant Babankaka Ngorgi who the convict opened fire on in July 2020
Penpushing reports that Maduabuchi, pleaded guilty during his trial by a General court marshal but argued that his action was accidental, while the trial that led to the conviction of the soldier did not reveal if he had any personal grudges with the officer he killed.
The court-martial headed by Arikpo Ekubi, as president of the court, attended to eight prosecution witnesses who said that they saw the condemned soldier at the scene of the crime still holding the AK47 rifle while the late Adjutant lay in a pool of his blood.
Penpushing further reports that, during the trial, one of the prosecuting witness told the court that he saw the private soldier match past him, without complimenting him as his senior as he walked up to the deceased adjutant who was at that time making a call and summarily opened fire on him.
“After opening a rapid action fire on him, the soldier turned to face me and then raised his hands to say ” I have killed him”, the prosecuting witness told the court marshal, while in the course of the trial the convicted was said to have failed to provide a convincing defence in his testimony.
Penpushing also reports that, the President of the court said, “the accused person gave a conflicting narration of what happened, the President of the Court Martial said while ruling on the case.
“In his written statement the soldier said his rifle went off while he was passing by the deceased officer. And while asked in court to demonstrate how he was carrying his rifle, he told the court that the rifle went off while he was fetching water to drink.”
Penpushing reports that, the court, however, posited that rifles only respond to what it is asked to do, declaring that the private soldier deliberately killed the officer because he ran straight to the Adjutant after returning from a patrol and opened fire on him at close range.
“He held his rifle at rapid-fire and emptied nine rounds of ammunition on the deceased officer, N/16439 who was the Adjutant of 202 battalions. The act of murder is a heinous crime against humanity; it offends the tenets of military regimentation and professionalism, You betrayed the truth and confidence reposed in you by the Nigerian army to show dignity and respect for human life”
Penpushing reports that, the court marshal, shunned all pleas for leniency by the defence counsel and posited that the act of murder has a mandatory punishment as clearly stipulated in Section 106 of the Armed Forces Act.
“On this note, the sentence of this court-martial on you, 16NA/75/1343, Trooper Azunna Mmaduabuchi, for the offence of murder is to suffer death as provided in section 106 of the Armed Forces Act. And this sentence is to be carried out by firing squad.,” the court ruled
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