ABUJA (Reuters) - Nigeria’s military court-martialed 97 of its troops on Thursday for offenses including mutiny, assault, absconding, house breaking and disorderly behavior, it said.

The president of the court-martial, Brigadier General Musa Yusuf, did not explicitly state that the trials related to soldiers’ conduct in a war against Islamist insurgents Boko Haram, but the troops were all serving in Maiduguri in the northeast, epicenter of the conflict.

Low morale there has led to a series of desertions and at least one mutiny. A security source said some soldiers had refused to board a bus to a combat deployment.

Nigeria’s military authorities last month sentenced 12 soldiers to death by firing squad for mutiny in the northeastern region.

Troops have also been repeatedly accused by human rights groups of abuses including killing civilians and torching their homes, charges the leadership usually denies.