After convicting 54 Nigerian soldiers to death on Wednesday for allegedly refusing to deploy and help recapture three towns seized by Boko Haram in August, a Nigerian military court is now planning to sentence another 43 soldiers for declining to battle the Islamic extremists in Nigeria, a defense attorney said.

The 54 soldiers are expected to face execution by firing squad after being convicted of mutiny, the Associated Press reported.

However, at least five have been acquitted by the court, attorney Femi Falana said, adding that all the soldiers that have been charged belong to to the 7 Division, Nigerian Army and include two corporals, nine lance corporals and 49 Private soldiers, according to Nigerian news site Premium Times.

Currently, another 43 soldiers remain on trial for allegedly "conspiring to commit mutiny against the authorities of 7 Division," he said on Thursday.

Battling on the front lines, Nigerian troops have regularly complained that they lack the weapons, supplies and food necessary to tackle Boko Haram, an Islamist group that has been fighting an insurgency in the country's north since 2009 and possesses tanks, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and other heavy weaponry, according to an Agence France-Presse report

But although the claims that the country's army was ill-equipped were denied by Nigerian defense officials, Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan had sought permission for a $1 billion loan from foreign institutions earlier this year to "upgrade the equipment, training and logistics of the armed forces," according to Forbes.

In September, 12 Nigerian soldiers from 7 Division were sentenced to death after being accused of attempting to murder their commanding officer while fighting Boko Haram, International Business Times reported.

Meanwhile, Boko Haram is known for encouraging a version of Islam which makes it "haram," or forbidden, for Muslims to take part in any political or social activity associated with Western society.

It frequently attacks schools and colleges, which it sees as a symbol of Western culture.