Nigeria Secures 1,721 Terrorism Convictions Since 2017

The Federal Government of Nigeria has achieved 1,721 terrorism convictions through its mass trial program, which commenced in October 2017. Mr.

Zakari Mijinyawa, Director of Legal Services at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), disclosed this during a joint security briefing in Abuja. The program has completed ten phases of terrorism trials, with the first three phases conducted between 2017 and 2018 resulting in 366 convictions, 882 discharges, and five acquittals.

The fourth to eighth phases, scheduled from 2023 to 2025, are expected to yield an additional 490 convictions, including cases related to terrorism financing and sexual and gender-based violence. The ninth and tenth phases, planned for 2026, aim to secure 865 convictions.

This initiative is part of the government's commitment to uphold constitutional guarantees of fair trial and rule of law. Additionally, military operations have neutralized 1,597 terrorists and rescued 1,516 kidnapping victims from January to June 2023.