[JURIST] A Nigerian court martial sentenced 54 soldiers to death for mutiny, their lawyer, Nigerian human rights activist Femi Falana [The Nation news archive], stated on Thursday. The soldiers were found guilty of mutiny while fighting the insurgent Boko Haram [BBC backgrounder] Islamist group, in which the soldiers refused to assist in recapturing three towns taken by the group. The troops claimed that they were provided with too few and inadequate weapons and equipment to fight against the insurgents. The men were charged with offenses including absconding, assault, house breaking and disorderly behavior. Troops of the Nigerian army have also been accused of many war crimes and crimes against humanity, including killing civilians during battle.

Nigeria has been under a watchful global eye over a number of important issues in recent years. Earlier this month the Nigerian human rights group Northern Coalition for Democracy and Justice (NCDJ) urged [JURIST report] the International Criminal Court to investigate and charge presidential candidate Muhammadu Buhari for post-election violence in 2011. The NCDJ alleged the violence, during which more than 800 people were killed, included acts of murder, torture and rape systematically directed at perceived non-supporters of Buhari. Also earlier this month Access to Justice and eight other civil rights groups brought Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan before the Federal High Court in Abuja with the goal of forcing an investigation [JURIST report] into alleged war crimes committed by members of the Nigerian military and the state-sponsored militias, the Civilian Joint Task Force. In September Amnesty International (AI) condemned [JURIST report] Nigeria’s police and military in a report released for the systematic and routine use of torture on detainees. In August AI announced [JURIST report] that it had obtained video footage, images and testimonies showing evidence of “gruesome” war crimes committed by Nigerian Military personnel.