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Nigeria convicted 386 terrorism suspects in a mass trial that concluded in the federal capital, the country’s justice minister said Friday.
Out of 508 defendants brought before the Federal High Court in Abuja, two were acquitted while eight were discharged, Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice Lateef Fagbemi told reporters.
The trial began on Tuesday, and sentences ranged from eight years to life imprisonment, depending on the gravity of the charges.
Fagbemi said 112 suspects whose cases could not be heard would be arraigned along with others in the next phase of mass trials scheduled for June 15 to 18.
“We brought 508 cases to the court and out of this number, we were able to secure 386 convictions, eight discharges, two acquittals and 112 cases adjourned to the next session or phase,” Fagbemi said.
He commended the 10 judges who sacrificed their Easter holiday to sit as special courts to handle the cases.
International bodies, including Amnesty International, the Nigerian Bar Association, the National Human Rights Commission and civil society organisations, witnessed the proceedings to ensure due process and transparency, Fagbemi added.
The trials are part of Phase Nine in a series of mass prosecutions intended to tackle insecurity and bring terrorism suspects to justice after prolonged detention, according to the News Agency of Nigeria.
