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| Dele Olawale |
A video of a former Nigerian soldier who was sentenced to death for being suspicious and asking questions after
17 years of service has surfaced online.
Dele Olawale, recounting how he was charged for mutiny and sentenced to death, disclosed that he was enlisted into the army in January 2003, was later posted to 82 Demonstration Battalion, Kaduna Jaji after training.
The ex-soldier, said it all began on September 12, 2013, when they (soldiers) were called by their commander that they should prepare for military operation because they want to go and fight at a place called Kafia forest.
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Olawale stated that they were briefed that the people they are planning to fight have been in the place since 2003 and have become a strong force in the area.
The commander told us that an Alpha jet will firstly soften the ground for us before we launch our attack in mobbing the rest.
Olawale added they were so confident that the end of the Boko Haram terrorists was near and they were so happy about it.
“We took our leave but at a point we could not see the Alpha jet again yet our commander said we still have to go not knowing that they (insurgents) have laid ambush for us which led to a serious battle but God saved my life. We lost 38 soldiers on that day,” Olawale said.
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“You told us pointblankly that the people (terrorists) are of strong force and we (soldiers) can not go there without the Alpha Jet softening the ground for us,” Olawale had said.
The commander told Olawale and other soldiers that it was not his fault and the problem he had was the Air Force because they failed him.
However, the soldiers didn't believe that the statement uttered by the commander was true, which made soldiers at the back to start murmuring, and later began shooting into the air to protest the statement, forcing the man to leave.
Olawale further disclosed that he was redeployed to Magunmeri Local Government in Borno state where he met some military police who told him to follow them because his attention was needed.
“The military police requested me to write a statement on what I knew about the incident that happened on the parade ground on that particular day. I narrated the incident, went back to my location and later redeployed to another area called Damasak.
“The following month, I was called and told that the question I asked from my commander was a mutinous question and I was charged for mutiny. They started transporting me from one detention to another for a year.
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| Olawale and the 3 other soldiers sentenced to death |
“On a fateful day in Abuja, popular lawyer and activist, Femi Falana came and requested to see soldiers that were charged for mutiny. He listed to our stories and stood in for us as our legal practitioner. The court marshal started and we were sentenced to death.
“We were moved from Abuja to military intelligence underground in Lagos. We were there for a year and denied the chances to see our families before they took us to prison,” the ex-soldier recounted.
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According to Olawale, Femi Falana appealed the death verdict and pushed the case with a lot of energy and strong determination.
He said;
“I was writing 200 level of National Open University (NOUN) examination inside the prison when I was called and Femi Falana told us that we (the four of us) have been discharged and acquitted. The prison officials told us that we have been discharged.”
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| Olawale and his children |
The wife, Grace also recounted the untold hardship her family faced during the trials. She pleaded with the Nigerian army to pay her husband his entitlements as they are still suffering on a daily basis.
See video;
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