Nigeria has secured convictions for 44 individuals out of 54 recently arraigned in Phase 7 of the Kainji Detention Facility Terrorism Trial, reflecting continued efforts to strengthen the country’s criminal justice system and combat terrorism.

 

 

 

This was revealed in a statement issued on Saturday in Abuja by Mr. Michael Abu, Head of Strategic Communication at the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser (NCTC-ONSA).

 

 

 

 

According to Abu, the remaining 10 cases were adjourned during proceedings held across four courts, each presided over by a Federal High Court justice. The latest convictions bring Nigeria’s total to 785 in cases involving terrorism financing and other related offences.

 

 

 

“The verdicts delivered from the trials resulted in prison sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years, all to be served with hard labour, underscoring the severity of the crimes and the Nigerian justice system’s resolve to uphold accountability and deter future transgressions,” Abu stated.

 

 

 

 

 

The trials began on Wednesday, July 9, with an opening ceremony that featured remarks from the National Coordinator of NCTC-ONSA, Maj.-Gen. Adamu Laka, on behalf of the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), was represented by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Mohammed Babadoko Abubakar.

 

 

 

“Both officials reaffirmed Nigeria’s unwavering commitment to justice and its determination to confront terrorism through lawful and transparent means,” Abu added.

 

 

 

During Phase 6 of the trials, 237 cases were heard and 200 convictions secured. The convicted terrorists were sentenced according to the gravity of their crimes, with penalties ranging from the death sentence and life imprisonment to terms of 20 to 70 years.

 

 

 

Abu noted that the crimes included attacks on women and children, destruction of religious sites, killings of civilians, and the abduction of women and children during a brutal assault on the Gina Kara Kai community in Borno State.