RADIO NIGERIA
A General court martial has been constituted to try thirteen naval personnel over offences that infringe on the force’s fight against maritime crime.
The personnel consist ten officers and three ratings.
The thirteen naval personnel include a Naval Captain, Commanders, Lieutenant Commanders and Sub Lieutenant.
Among the ratings, includes a female who was alleged to have connived with others to commit the offence.
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The President of the Court-Martial, Rear Admiral Zakariya Muhammad said the court would be fair to all the accused persons and would ensure that they got the needed legal practitioner of their choice for transparency and justification of the court.
Rear Admiral Muhammad said the personnel committed civil and military offences, hence the initiation of the courts martial.
The court President noted that the General Court Martial will uphold the tenets of fair hearing for all the accused persons, adding that all parties to the trial are required to abide by the rules of the court so that at the end of the trial justice would be done.
While reading the convening order, the Judge Advocate Lieutenant Commander Godspower Oyibo said the General Court Martial was convened by Rear Admiral Oladele Daji, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Naval Command in line with the Armed Forces Act to try the 13 naval personnel.
The leadership of the Nigerian Navy had earlier expressed zero tolerance for economic sabotage, isolated cases of personnel complicity in illegal acts as well as its resolve to fight all forms of criminal activities in the nation’s maritime domain.
Accordingly, the Nigerian Navy has called on the general public to avail the service of any criminal activities in the maritime environment as well as misconduct of their personnel for appropriate act.