The Federal Government has secured 653 convictions in the ongoing mass trial of terrorism suspects, following court proceedings involving individuals arrested across Nigeria over alleged involvement in terrorism and related offences.
The convictions were recorded during the third phase of the special court sessions organised to prosecute terrorism suspects.
A total of 1,060 defendants were brought before the court during the exercise, which covered allegations ranging from supporting insurgent groups to withholding information about their activities from security agencies.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, disclosed the figures on Friday after leaving the courtroom.
Fagbemi, who led the Federal Government’s prosecution team, said 880 cases had been heard so far, resulting in 653 convictions, seven acquittals and 27 discharges.
He explained that the proceedings were still ongoing and that the final figures would be made public when the exercise had been concluded.
The current phase, according to him, represents the largest round of mass trials conducted by the Federal Government since the special sessions for terrorism-related cases began.
The Attorney-General attributed the progress recorded to cooperation among the judiciary, prosecution teams and security agencies.
He said the different institutions had worked together to ensure that the cases moved through the courts and that the defendants received the necessary legal representation.
Fagbemi expressed appreciation to the judges handling the cases, particularly Justice Binta Nyako, who has been acting on behalf of the Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho.
He also commended the prosecution team, defence lawyers and security personnel involved in the proceedings.
Among the institutions acknowledged for their contributions were the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the military, the Nigeria Police Force, correctional centres and the Legal Aid Council of Nigeria.
The Attorney-General said cooperation among these institutions remained important in prosecuting terrorism, terrorism financing and other offences connected to insurgency and threats to national security.
Their responsibilities include investigating suspected offences, securing defendants, preparing cases for prosecution and facilitating court proceedings.
The scale of the exercise reflects the Federal Government’s continuing effort to bring terrorism suspects before the courts rather than allowing cases to remain unresolved within the criminal justice system.
However, the outcome of each case depends on the evidence presented and the decision reached by the court.
While 653 defendants have been convicted, seven were acquitted and 27 discharged, according to the figures announced by Fagbemi.
These outcomes are legally distinct. An acquittal means the court has found the defendant not guilty of the charge, while a discharge releases a defendant from the relevant proceedings without necessarily carrying the same legal meaning as an acquittal.
The Attorney-General did not announce the final outcome for all 1,060 defendants, noting that the trial exercise had yet to end.
The figures released therefore represent the position at the time of his briefing, rather than the final result of the entire phase.
Fagbemi also addressed concerns surrounding the provision of legal representation for defendants, explaining that the Legal Aid Council was carrying out its statutory responsibility to assist eligible persons who could not afford private legal services.
He clarified that the involvement of the council did not prevent defendants from engaging private lawyers to represent them in court.
According to him, the defence teams were allowed to meet their clients before proceedings and were granted access to detention facilities to prepare their cases.
