Following a mass trial held for two days in Kainji, Niger State, the Federal Government has disclosed that 125 members of the Boko Haram terrorist group, including their financiers, have been convicted and found guilty of the charges brought against them.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, disclosed this in a statement on Friday, July 27.
Signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Communication & Publicity, office of the AGF, Kamarudeen Ogundele, the statement noted that the convicts were tried on charges bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, and rendering material support, among others.
The trials were held under the Giwa Project Kanji Phase Five, between Tuesday and Wednesday, before five Federal High Court judges led by Binta Nyako. Other Justices are Joyce Abdulmalik, Emeka Nwite, Obiora Egwuatu, and Mobolaji Olajuwon.
The statement read in the part, “The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), is superintending over the trial in conjunction with the Office of the National Security Adviser.
“The prosecution team was led by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar, while the defence team was led by Mr Abdulfatai Bakre from the Legal Aids Council.”
“Others in attendance as international observers are the National Human Rights Commission, the Nigerian Bar Association, and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crimes among others. The courts convicted 85 persons for terrorism financing, 22 for ICC-related crimes while others were convicted for terrorism. They were sentenced to various jail terms.”
It added that 400 defendants who had completed their sentence were moved to Operation Safe Corridor in Gombe State for rehabilitation, deradicalisation and subsequent reintegration.
Recall that in March 2024, the Nigeria Sanctions Committee (NSC) listed some individuals and Bureau de Change (BDCs) designated as terrorism financiers. The NSC document showed 21 individuals and six entities tagged as financiers of terrorism.
For more than a decade, the Boko Haram group been known for its brutality mostly in the Northern part of the country, killing thousands of people in multiple attacks. The United Nations documented that millions of Nigerians have been displaced since the conflict started in 2010.
Aside from killings and destruction of properties, the group have been notorious for the kidnapping of people, including over 1,000 school children, as documented by The ICIR.
Kehinde Ogunyale tells stories by using data to hold power into account. You can send him a mail at [email protected] (jameskennyogunyale@gmail) or Twitter: Prof_KennyJames