Nigeria has convicted nearly 400 Islamist militants following mass trials held this week in the capital, Abuja. The country’s Attorney General confirmed the news late on Friday.
These prosecutions began on Tuesday. They form part of a series of trials involving Boko Haram trials and ISWAP suspects that started in 2017. More than 2,000 defendants have featured in these cases since their inception.
Success at the Federal High Court
Lateef Fagbemi, Nigeria’s Attorney General, said more than 500 cases were presented to the Federal High Court during the latest proceedings.
“We brought 508 cases to the court and out of this number, we were able to secure 386 convictions, eight discharges, two acquittals and 112 cases adjourned to the next session or phase,” Fagbemi said.
Sentences ranged from five years to life imprisonment. Furthermore, judges stipulated that the convicts undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes. These efforts aim to support their eventual reintegration into society.
A Decade of Insurgency
Boko Haram’s insurgency launched in 2009 in the northeast of the country. It has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than 2 million people, according to humanitarian groups.
The group gained global notoriety for the 2014 mass abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok town in northeast Borno state. Both Boko Haram and its splinter group, ISWAP, seek to establish an Islamic state in Nigeria. They have increased attacks against the military this year.
International observers monitored the court proceedings to ensure fair trials. These groups included the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, Amnesty International, and the Nigerian Bar Association.
The next phase of the trials should begin by the end of the May quarter, according to Fagbemi.
