The General Court Martial of 60 Nigerian soldiers charged with mutiny has been postponed till Thursday, military authorities have said.
The trial was earlier billed to hold on Tuesday at the Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja. But journalists who were supposed to cover the proceedings found the venue under lock and key with no activities at all.
Spokesman of the Garrison, Col. Aliyu Yusuf, told a journalist that he is unaware of any court martial scheduled to be held, but promised to reach out to the journalists whenever a date was fixed for the trial
A military source who requested anonymity also said lawyers representing the accused soldiers met with legal officers of the court martial on Tuesday morning and agreed to shift trial till Thursday because of the independence holiday on Wednesday.
“When I got here (trial venue) this morning, I was told that the court martial has been postpone till Thursday because of the independence anniversary coming up tomorrow – Wednesday,’’ a counsel to one of the soldiers told newsmen.
The soldiers standing trial allegedly committed mutiny by “refusing to join troops for an operation’’ in Maiduguri on 4th August.
