The erring soldiers are Sani Ishaya, Bidemi Fabiyi, Abdulrasheed Adamu, and Bala Musa.

They were sentenced on Tuesday following their arraignment for manslaughter by the Nigerian Army before the 7 Division General Court Marshal, Operation Lafiya Dole, Maimalari Cantonment in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital.

Ishaya, who was arraigned along with the others for torturing Peter Apogu to death over suspected theft, was sentenced to four years imprisonment.

His accomplice Fabiyi was slammed with two years imprisonment while Adamu and Musa got one year each for their involvement in the crime.

Similarly, another soldier was sentenced to three years imprisonment for unprofessional conduct and use of a firearm for unauthorised public display at a wedding, leading to the death of a 12-year-old boy.

In his reaction, the father of the minor thanked the military authorities for dispensing justice, three years after the crime was committed.

Counsel to the defendants, Adetutu Oriyomi, thanked the court for a fair judgement and blame the soldiers’ conducts on ignorance.

On the other hand, Aja Emmanuel, a lance corporal, was deranked for assaulting a civilian suspected of theft in his Area of Responsibility.