The court would be led by Major General Bainze Mohammed, with Lt.Col Rotimi Bakari as Secretary.

Brigadier General Dominic Udofa would preside over the Special Court Martial, with Squadron Leader Audu Satomi serving as secretary.

The inauguration took place in Maiduguri, Borno State, in the Maimalari Cantonment Officers Mess.

Gen Musa said the trials are regimental and judicial exercises aimed at assessing or eliminating the rights and privileges of any convicted serviceman, emphasizing that “it is unique to the military and a tributary of criminal trial that flows into the sea of Nigerian Criminal Justice System.”

The purpose of military courts under the Armed Forces Act, according to Gen Musa, is to deal with issues that directly affect the regimentation discipline, efficiency, and morale of military troops.

“It is necessary,” General Musa said, “since the safety and well-being of Nigerians are heavily reliant on the willingness and readiness of members of the Armed Forces.”

He went on to say that to keep the Armed Forces ready, the military as an institution must be prepared to effectively impose internal discipline in conformity with current regulations.

As a result, the Theater Commander stated that the Court Martial is not only considered as a jury trial but also as a court that expedites the adjudication of cases and the imposition of punishments in the event of a conviction.

As a result, he urged the courts to emphasize statutory laws and traditional military regimentation while adhering to the fair hearing criteria stipulated in the Federal Republic of Nigeria’s constitution of 1999. (as amended).

General Musa also urged the courts to follow the provisions of the Armed Forces Act, which closely mirrored the Nigerian Constitution, by adhering to constitutional fair hearing provisions, which are required in military trials, and to carry out their duties without fear, favor, or affection, while appealing to them to do so diligently.

“I, therefore, urge you to all discharge your duties diligently without fear, favor, or affection.

“I wish to employ the courts once again to discharge their duties while strictly guided by the need to do justice to the accused, justice to the victims if the alleged infractions, and justice to the state whose laws are alleged to have been broken”, General Musa said.

The Theater Commander further stated that the two courts are expected to try 158 officers and soldiers of the theater command who are accused of committing varying degrees of offenses of the Nigerian Constitution and Nigerian Army Law while on duty.