/ 12 January 2001

ARMY CHIEF DEFENDS JAILING OF SOLDIERS

THE Nigerian army chief has defended recent life jail sentences imposed on 25 wounded soldiers accused of mutiny for complaining about their conditions. The soldiers, who were injured while serving in ECOMOG, a west African peacekeeping force, were sentenced to life imprisonment at the end of last month for protesting against conditions surrounding their medical treatment in Egypt. “In the military, you are subject to military laws and if you run foul of the laws, we will punish you,” said the Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General Victor Malu. – AFP