By Professor Ishaq Akintola

‎The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has appealed to the Nigerian Army authorities to release the gratuities of the famous 54 soldiers whose cases came to limelight about 12 years ago.

‎‎MURIC’s appeal was made public in a statement issued on Tuesday, 13th January, 2026.

‎‎It reads:

‎‎”We wish to bring the case of the 54 soldiers to the attention of the Nigerian Army authorities, the Federal Government of Nigeria (FG) and the Nigerian public for both compassionate consideration and due diligence.

‎‎”The 54 soldiers were those tried by the military for demanding better weapons to face Boko Haram. They were first sentenced to death but their death sentence was later commuted to ten years imprisonment. They were later granted presidential pardon in 2022 and discharged.

‎‎”Although their discharge date reads 2014, the 54 soldiers are contesting this date. According to them, their discharge date should read 2025 since they were in detention until they were pardoned in 2022 and discharged in 2025. The 54 soldiers are also eager to receive their entitlements. They also claim that the Army has already paid a general who was pardoned along with them.

“The case of the 54 soldiers first caught our attention when they were first sentenced to death. We are not in any way related to them but we took up their case based on humanitarian considerations and, being a human rights organization, we regarded it as part of our corporate responsibilities.

‎‎”MURIC appeals to the Nigerian army authorities to pay the entitlements of the 54 soldiers on compassionate ground. These are able bodied men with family responsibilities.”

‎Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC).