Nigerian Soldiers to be executed for refusing to fight Boko Haram

Africa News --54 Nigerian soldiers were sentenced to death by a court martial for refusing to fight and help in the recapture of towns that had been overrun by Boko Haram militants in August.  The lawyer representing the 54 accused of mutiny said they will be executed by a firing squad. The initial number was 59 but five of them were acquitted.

Nigerian is one of the several countries in Africa faced by the threat of terrorism.  Troops in the West African country have often complained of lack of enough weapons to battle Boko Haram insurgents.  

Boko Haram has waged war since 2009 in a push to create an Islamic state in North Eastern Nigeria. More than 2000 people have perished directly and thousands displaced following the conflict. 

The court martial proceedings started in October and have been conducted behind closed doors since then. According to the defense lawyer, Femi Falani, the soldier were charged for "conspiring to commit mutiny against the authorities of 7 Division, Nigerian Army".

The case brings to the fore the questions of how Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, is prepared to protect its citizens against Islamic insurgency. Insecurity in Nigeria has dominated Africa News in the past few years. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Thursday, December 18, 2014

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14 Year-old Murder Convict Exonerated 70 Years after Execution

World News -- How late can justice come? Really! A circuit court judge threw out the case, 70 years after a South Carolina court found a 14 year-old boy guilty of murder and sentenced him to death. It is said that the boy was so small that a phone book was used to help him fit into the electric chair.  The decision to vacate the case against George Stinney Jr. was arrived at on Wednesday morning by Judge Carmen Mullins.  The black teen was sentenced to death in 1994 after being found guilty of beating two white girls to death.

Long road to justice

Civil society activists have worked for years to reopen the case, stating that Stinney was coerced to confess the killings. Stinney weighed only 47.5Kgs at the time of his arrest. According to official accounts, Stinney had admitted beating the two girls, 11 years and 8 years with a railroad spike.

In 2009, his sister came forward to claim that she was with him all day on the day the murders are alleged to have been committed. Stinney was tried and executed within three months. The trial lasted on 3 hours, and the twelve white judges used only 10 minutes to pass the sentence.

Stinney is often regarded as the youngest person executed in the United States in the 20^th Century. At the time of his execution, 14 years was the legal age for one to take criminal responsibility. It will be interesting to see how things develop after the ruling. 

By: Sheriff Mako On Thursday, December 18, 2014

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