About a week after the 12 soldiers condemned to death by a military court-martial were moved to military facilities in Kainji in Niger State and Lagos, LEADERSHIP has again gathered that the soldiers are still being kept in an underground cell.
A source said last night that they were still in the cell waiting for their appeals to be fixed for hearing and determination.
The source further said that the soldiers are no longer being fed well compared to the way they were fed before they moved them to the cell.
"They no longer eat well since they were moved to the underground cell. They fed them better than now that they have been moved. We are waiting for the court to hear and determine their appeals," the source said.
Last week, a Nigerian newspaper exclusively reported that the soldiers had been moved to the military intelligence headquarters in Apapa, Lagos State and that they were facing inhuman treatment where they were kept.
The source, however, revealed last night that the inhuman treatment meted out to them initially had stopped.
The soldiers were tried and convicted for mutiny by a military court-martial about two weeks ago.
Since the verdict was passed on the soldiers, many Nigerians have been appealing to the military authorities to reduce their sentence, with some even appealing to President Goodluck Jonathan to temper justice with mercy.
We're Still Searching for Missing aircraft
Meanwhile, the Nigerian Air Force last night disclosed that the situation remained the same with the missing aircraft: it is still trying to determine the whereabouts of its missing fighter jet.
"We are still searching for the aircraft. The search team is still at work. Every information received so far has not given us a clue about its location," the spokesman of the NAF, Air Commodore Dele Alonge, said.
Two weeks ago, specifically on September 14, the Defence Headquarters, through its spokesman, Major-General Chris Olukolade, had announced that an Air Force Alpha jet involved in operations in north-east Nigeria was missing.
"An Alpha Jet (NAF 466) belonging to the Nigerian Air Force is missing around Adamawa State.
"The aircraft, with two pilots onboard, left Yola at about 10:45am on September 12, 2014, on a routine operational mission and was expected back by 12pm. Since then, all efforts to establish contact with the aircraft have not yielded any positive result. Search-and-rescue efforts towards establishing contact with the crew are ongoing," a statement issued by Olukolade had read.
We must unite to defeat Boko Haram- Jonathan
President Goodluck Jonathan said yesterday that lack of unity among Nigerians was the main reason why the country was yet to defeat the deadly terror group, Boko Haram, and contain its activities which had claimed the lives of thousands of innocent people.
He urged politicians and highly placed Nigerian to be mindful of their action, saying that while it was usual to struggle for political space, such actions should be done with caution taking cognizance of the fact that the country needs to remain strong and united for the good of all citizens.
Speaking at the interdenominational church service to mark the 54th independence anniversary of the country which was held at the National Christian Centre, Abuja, Jonathan cited the country's successful containment of the Ebola Virus disease as a battle won against a deadly disease because the country was united irrespective of political affiliations.
He said, "When I listen to some comments by some highly placed individuals, I feel sorry for this country. There are some of us who, while struggling to get what we desire, we have even forgotten that we cannot get that if we destroy our country. So, if we come together, while pursuing whatever achievement we want - I believe that we don't have any other country than Nigeria - I am sure we will overcome Boko Haram.
"We were able to defeat Ebola because all Nigerians agreed together in waging a war against the disease. That is the strength of unity," the president added, even as he observed that some of the challenges the country was facing "whether kidnapping or the greatest problem we are having - which is terror - is because all of us have not united to fight these challenges".
Noting that the Armed forces has done well and only needed the encouragement from Nigerians to do better, Jonathan commended the security services for doing their best in spite of their challenges, including sabotage.
The president further declared Nigeria is great because of the strength and resilience of its people and not due to its oil and abundant natural resources, noting that "Nigeria is a poor country if you look at the resources and the population."
On his part, the president of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Pastor Ayo Oritsejafor, said that all the problems facing Nigeria were self-inflicted, including corruption and insurgency.
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