{A Nigerian court martial has sentenced 54 soldiers to death for refusing to fight Boko Haram Islamist militants.}<\/p>\n
The soldiers, who were found guilty of mutiny, were accused of refusing to help recapture three towns that had been seized by Boko Haram in August.<\/p>\n
A lawyer for the soldiers said the 54 would face a firing squad while five others were acquitted.<\/p>\n
Troops have complained that they are not being given enough weapons and ammunition to fight Boko Haram.<\/p>\n
The group has been waging an insurgency since 2009 and is seeking to create an Islamist state in north-eastern Nigeria.<\/p>\n
More than 2,000 people have died in attacks blamed on Boko Haram so far this year and thousands more have been displaced by the fighting.<\/p>\n
The court martial began in October and was conducted behind closed doors. Military officials were not available for comment afterwards.<\/p>\n
Defence lawyer Femi Falana said the soldiers were all accused of \u201cconspiring to commit mutiny against the authorities of 7 Division, Nigerian Army\u201d.<\/p>\n
All the soldiers had denied the charges and the sentence is subject to approval by senior officers.<\/p>\n
In a similar case in September, 12 soldiers were sentenced to death for mutiny and the attempted murder of a commanding officer in the north-eastern city of Maiduguri.<\/p>\n
BBC<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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