The Federal Government on Tuesday commenced the prosecution of 500 individuals linked to terrorism, as mass trials opened at the Federal High Court in Abuja amid heightened efforts to tackle insurgency.
The suspects are accused of involvement in a wave of attacks across northern Nigeria that left over 2,000 people dead and caused widespread destruction of property.
Authorities said the defendants allegedly played varying roles, including direct participation in attacks and providing logistical support such as funding, arms supply and food provisions to terrorist groups.
Leading the prosecution, the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), alongside the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), confirmed that 227 suspects were initially arraigned before 10 judges of the Federal High Court.
Fagbemi disclosed that the large-scale trial was deliberately structured to ensure speed and transparency, noting that representatives of international organisations, including human rights groups and the Nigerian Bar Association, were invited to observe proceedings.
He also commended the judges for sitting during the Easter period to accelerate the dispensation of justice in the high-profile cases.
Security was tight around the court premises, as the suspects were transported in convoys under heavy guard by operatives of the military, the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police.
In one of the early rulings, Justice Binta Fatima Nyako convicted a key logistics supplier to Boko Haram, Hamatu Modu, sentencing him to 40 years’ imprisonment after he admitted to providing food and intelligence to insurgents in Borno State.
In related judgments, the court handed a 10-year jail term to Isah Ali for supplying food to terrorists, while Sheu Buka was sentenced to 20 years in prison for trading livestock with the insurgents.
Similarly, Hamza Yahuza received a seven-year sentence for supplying cannabis and cigarettes to members of the terror group.
Justice Nyako further directed that all convicted persons undergo deradicalisation and rehabilitation programmes upon completion of their sentences, while the Federal Ministry of Interior was mandated to designate correctional facilities for their incarceration.
The proceedings are expected to continue on Wednesday as the government pushes ahead with one of the largest terrorism-related prosecutions in the country’s history.