Nigeria has placed hundreds more suspected Islamist militants on trial in the latest phase of mass prosecutions linked to the country’s long-running insurgency, Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi said on Tuesday.
Fagbemi said 84 suspects were due to appear in court on Tuesday, joining about 490 already on trial since Monday at a federal court in Abuja. Another 102 cases have been carried over from an earlier trial.
“The message is to let everybody know that terrorism in whatever shape or form is not to be condoned or tolerated,” Fagbemi said.
Nigeria has battled a 17-year insurgency led by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province in the northeast. The conflict has killed thousands of people and displaced at least 2 million, according to aid groups.
The proceedings mark the fourth phase of terrorism trials under President Bola Tinubu, as his government continues to use mass prosecutions as part of its wider security response.
Mass trials have become a central element of Nigeria’s counterinsurgency strategy over the past decade, though rights groups have previously raised concerns about due process, lengthy detention and access to legal representation in terrorism cases.
Authorities said 386 suspected Islamist militants were convicted in April, receiving sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment.