Nigeria Secures 1,721 Terrorism Convictions in Mass Trials

The Federal Government of Nigeria has achieved a significant milestone by securing 1,721 convictions for terrorism-related offenses through its mass trial program, which commenced in October 2017. This program has successfully completed ten phases, with the latest results announced by Zakari Usman Mijinyawa, Director of Legal Services at the Office of the National Security Adviser.

The trials have produced 366 convictions in the first three phases (2017-2018), alongside 882 discharges and five acquittals. The program resumed in 2023, resulting in 14 convictions in phase four and 351 convictions in phase five, which included cases of terrorism financing and sexual and gender-based violence.

By 2026, phases nine and ten conducted at the Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja, resulted in 865 convictions, surpassing the combined total of 856 convictions secured in the previous nine years (2017-2025). The government emphasizes its commitment to fair trial principles and due process while continuing to prosecute pending terrorism cases.