10 Nigerian generals found guilty of arming and aiding Boko Haram

Nigerian staff of Kaduna Polytechnic protest over the abducted Chibok school girls (EPA)

Ten generals and five other senior military officers were found guilty by courts martial of providing arms and information to Boko Haram extremists, a leading Nigerian newspaper has reported.

The verdicts follow months of allegations from politicians and soldiers, who said some senior officers were helping the Islamic extremists and that some soldiers even fight alongside the insurgents and then return to army camps.

They have said that information provided by army officers has helped Boko Haram to ambush military convoys and attack barracks and outposts in its stronghold in north-eastern Nigeria.

Leadership newspaper quoted an officer as saying that four other officers, in addition to the 15, were found guilty of “being disloyal and for working for the members of the sect”.

Ministry of Defence spokesman Major-General Chris Olukolade last week denied that senior military officers were being investigated for helping Boko Haram and sabotaging a year-old offensive to curb the five-year-old uprising that has killed thousands.

Boko Haram has attracted international condemnation and UN sanctions since its abduction in April of more than 300 schoolgirls, of whom 272 remain captive.

AP