According to the AGF, the 227 suspects were distributed across multiple courtrooms and handled by judges who sat despite the ongoing Easter vacation of the Federal High Court.
The Nigerian Government on Tuesday arraigned no fewer than 227 terrorism suspects before 10 judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja, marking a significant phase in its ongoing crackdown on terrorism-related offences across the country.
The mass trial, described as “phase 9” by the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, is part of a broader exercise involving about 500 suspects expected to be prosecuted within the week...READ FULL; FROM THE SOURCE.
According to the AGF, the 227 suspects were distributed across multiple courtrooms and handled by judges who sat despite the ongoing Easter vacation of the Federal High Court.
Speaking after the proceedings, Fagbemi said the scale of participation by the judiciary underscored the importance attached to the trial.
“They have prioritized the trial of a terrorism suspect to underscore the importance that is attached to this trial,” he said.
“This is phase 9, don’t forget. For phase 9, we have 500 in all, and it will last either Friday or Saturday. It is our hope that of these 500, we will be able to go very, very far.”
The suspects, who are part of over 500 individuals scheduled for trial, were brought before the court under heavy security presence, with armed personnel deployed in and around the Federal High Court complex and major access roads blocked.
Traditionally held in Kainji, Niger State, the trials were moved to Abuja due to logistical considerations and the availability of more courtrooms.
Explaining the relocation, Fagbemi said, “For logistic problems, it is not convenient to go to Kainji, although, like I said, the same judges would have been ferried to Kainji.I t’s more convenient here. We have more courtrooms here. And we have an enablement in terms of law to sit here, and that’s why we are sitting here.”
Several of the suspects faced charges bordering on aiding and abetting terrorism, particularly in connection with Boko Haram activities in the North-East.
On the first day of proceedings, a number of defendants were convicted and sentenced after pleading guilty to various charges.
Among them was Hamat Modu, 20, who received ten years imprisonment on each of four counts for assisting Boko Haram members.
Similarly, Isah Ali, a food supplier in Borno State, was sentenced to ten years imprisonment, with the court ordering that his jail term commence from the date of his arrest three years ago.
In another case, Hamza Yahuza, a father of six, was sentenced to seven years imprisonment for supplying Indian hemp and cigarettes to Boko Haram insurgents, while Shehu Bukar, a father of three, was handed a 20-year jail term for selling goats to the terrorist group.
Justice Binta Nyako, who presided over several of the cases, ordered that convicted persons undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation after completing their jail terms.
Meanwhile, about 20 additional suspects were also arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite, as other judges including Justices Musa Liman and Akpan Ekerete handled different batches of cases.
Providing insight into the nature of the charges, the Director General of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, Aliyu Abubakar, explained that some suspects were prosecuted for providing financial or material support to terrorist groups.
“When you pay money or when you give farm produce to Boko Haram, by way of appeasing them, it is considered to be part of terrorism financing”, he said.
He added that many of the suspects admitted to the offences, which expedited the trial process.
“This has been our experience over the years and today’s trial is not different. Majority of them admit to committing the crime. A large number of them have also been convicted for associating with Boko Haram. Some of them are not active participants in Boko Haram activities or ISWAP activities, as the case may be,” he said.
“Under the law, association is termed as grievous as committing an offence. Some of them were convicted for association. Happily, I can say one or two people have been discharged and acquitted.
“And you can imagine for somebody who has been in detention for close to four or five years under the military custody to be discharged and acquitted, it shows that the trial has some level of transparency that is going on.”
“This is something we are going to continue until, until about Friday or even,” he added.
