Nigeria Convicts 500 Terror Suspects in Abuja Mass Trial

The Federal Government of Nigeria launched a mass trial of 500 suspected terrorists at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday, convicting and sentencing several defendants to prison terms ranging from 10 to 20 years for providing support to groups like Boko Haram and ISWAP. The proceedings, relocated from Kainji in Niger State due to the court's Easter vacation, involved 227 suspects arraigned before 10 judges amid heightened security measures.

Prosecutors, led by Attorney General Lateef Fagbemi and Director of Public Prosecutions Rotimi Oyedepo, presented charges including membership in proscribed terrorist organizations, material support through food, clothing, logistics and financial aid, and participation in attacks. The suspects were accused of roles in northern Nigeria assaults that have killed over 2,000 people and caused widespread property damage. Defense counsel, headed by Aliyu Abubakar of the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria, represented the defendants, many of whom pleaded guilty to at least one count.

In one case before Justice Binta Nyako, Hamatu Modu, a resident of Borno State, received 10 years imprisonment on each of four counts for belonging to Boko Haram,...