In a landmark judgment delivered on July 20, 2026, Justice S.A. Yelwa held that the presidential pardon granted under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution completely erased the soldiers' convictions, sentences, and dismissals from the Nigerian Army, restoring their legal status and entitling them to reinstatement.
The National Industrial Court of Nigeria (NICN), sitting in Lagos, has ordered the immediate reinstatement of 70 Nigerian Army personnel who were convicted by various courts-martial in 2014 but were later granted an unconditional presidential pardon by late former President Muhammadu Buhari.
In a landmark judgment delivered on July 20, 2026, Justice S.A. Yelwa held that the presidential pardon granted under Section 175 of the 1999 Constitution completely erased the soldiers' convictions, sentences, and dismissals from the Nigerian Army, restoring their legal status and entitling them to reinstatement.
The court also directed the Nigerian Army to pay the soldiers all salaries, allowances, and other emoluments accruing from July 18, 2022—the effective date of the presidential pardon—until the date of their actual reinstatement.
However, the court declined their request for salaries covering the period between December 17, 2014, and July 17, 2022, holding that they were not entitled to wages for the years they neither rendered military service nor performed official duties while serving prison terms.
