A military general court martial in Maiduguri, Borno State, on Tuesday sentenced a soldier to 18 months in prison for unauthorized possession of live ammunitions outside his assigned duty post.
The court also ruled that three officers would not be promoted for periods ranging from 18 months to two years for unprofessional conduct in the frontline.
The court martial, headed by Olusegun Adeniyi, a Brigadier General, tried Private Mcdonald Chukwu on a two-count charge after he was caught at a bus station with 89 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunitions inside his travelling bag.
He was arrested by a female police sergeant, Sarah Peters, who frisked his bag as he was about to board a commercial bus in Maiduguri.
Mr. Chukwu, in an earlier statement, admitted being in possession of the ammunitions, but said he forgot them in his bag when he returned from his duty post, as he hurried to get money from an ATM machine to travel.
He later disowned the statement, saying the ammunitions were not found in his bag.
He was arrested by a female police sergeant, Sarah Peters, who frisked his bag as he was about to board a commercial bus in Maiduguri.
Mr. Chukwu, in an earlier statement, admitted being in possession of the ammunitions, but said he forgot them in his bag when he returned from his duty post, as he hurried to get money from an ATM machine to travel.
He later disowned the statement, saying the ammunitions were not found in his bag.
