Nigeria convicts nearly 400 Islamist militants in mass trials

Nigeria has convicted nearly 400 Islamist militants following mass trials held this week in the capital Abuja, according to the country’s Attorney General.

The prosecutions, which began on April 8, form part of a long-running judicial process involving suspected members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP). The broader trials have been ongoing since 2017 and have involved more than 2,000 defendants, Reuters reports.

Lateef Fagbemi, Nigeria’s Attorney General, said more than 500 cases were brought before 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 handed down ranged from five years to life imprisonment. Authorities also said judges ordered that those convicted undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes aimed at facilitating their reintegration into society.

Boko Haram’s insurgency, launched in 2009 in Nigeria’s northeast, has killed tens of thousands of people and displaced more than 2 million others, according to humanitarian organisations. The group gained global notoriety following the 2014 mass abduction of schoolgirls in Chibok, Borno State.

By Sabina Mammadli