Nigeria’s federal government has secured around 150 convictions in just two days, as the latest round of mass terrorism trials got under way at the Federal High Court in Abuja, with cases being heard simultaneously before ten judges.
Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi disclosed the figures to reporters at the court on Tuesday, telling journalists that Monday’s opening day alone had produced roughly 150 convictions out of about 160 cases heard.
By Tuesday, the pace had only quickened. Some 300 cases were brought before the courts, with a further 84 expected to be wrapped up before the day was out. “Whatever we can do, or wherever we stop today, we’ll continue tomorrow and also on Thursday. So it’s still ongoing,” Fagbemi said.
The minister urged the public to remain patient as the trials continued, framing the exercise as proof of the government’s commitment to justice, accountability and the rule of law.
Speaking a day earlier, Fagbemi had described the current sitting as the fourth phase of mass terrorism trials since the administration came to power, casting it as an unambiguous warning to those behind Nigeria’s long-running insurgency. “The message is clear, direct and straightforward,” he said. “It is that the present administration is not taking the issue of terrorism with levity… let everybody know that terrorism in whatever form or shape will not be tolerated.”
Fagbemi is personally leading the prosecution, while the defence is headed by Aliyu Abubakar, Director-General of the Legal Aid Council. The judges presiding over the cases include Justices Binta Nyako, Emeka Nwite, Musa Liman, James Omotosho, Obiora Egwuatu and Ekerete Akpan, with hearings spread across multiple courtrooms to process the volume of cases.
The trials are scheduled to run until Thursday, bringing the latest phase to a close after a week. It follows an earlier round held between 7 and 10 April, during which more than 500 people accused of terrorism-related offences were tried before the same court.
The speed and scale of the convictions are likely to draw scrutiny from rights groups and legal observers, who have previously raised questions about due process in Nigeria’s mass trial exercises, even as the government presents the figures as evidence of a justice system finally getting to grips with a years-long security crisis.
