For their role in the alleged mutiny at 7 Division, Nigerian Army, Maiduguri, Borno State on May 14 this year, 18 soldiers have been arrested, sources claimed.

The soldiers who were arrested after an investigating team set up by the Defence Headquarters in Abuja, which looked into the immediate cause of the alleged mutiny at the Maimalari Cantonment, are currently in detention.

They were arrested and disarmed after the team found them culpable of the of­fence and flown to Abuja.

Sources said the soldiers who are still being interrogated, would soon appear before a General Court Martial to be set by the Army authorities in Abuja.

The suspects would be charged with alleged mutiny, indiscipline, insubordi­nation, disobedience to standing orders among other offences, as stipulated in the Armed Forces Act.

Angry soldiers had on May 14 at­tempted to kill the former General Of­ficer Commanding (GOC) the division, Major-General Abubakar Mohammed, when they allegedly opened fire at him after sighting the bodies of 10 of their col­leagues, who were ambushed and killed by Boko Haram insurgents in one of the villages in the state.

The soldiers were said to have accused authorities of the division of possible information leakage to the terrorists about their operation.

The crisis led to the immediate rede­ployment of the GOC and his replace­ment.

•Excerpted from a Daily Sun report. Photo shows Chief of Army Staff, Gen. Kenneth Minimah.