The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the mass trial initiative is part of the Federal Government’s broader strategy to clear the backlog of terrorism cases and accelerate justice for offences linked to insurgency and armed criminal networks across the country.
The trial, which usually holds in Kainji in Niger, was transferred to the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The trial is expected to last for a few days.
Some of the trial judges are Justice Binta Nyako, Justice James Omotosho, Justice Salim Ibrahim, Justice Emeka Nwite, Justice Obiora Egwuatu, Justice Hauwa Yilwa, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, Justice Peter Lifu, among others.
No fewer than 34 suspected terrorists were on Justice Ibrahim’s cause list for Thursday’s proceedings, while 25 defendants were listed on Justice Lifu’s court.
Some of the names listed for arraignment before Justice Ibrahim are Isah Ismail, Alai Goni, Bulama Lawal, Garba Ibrahim, Mallam Modu Abba Kichi, Lawal Alhaji Mamman, Usman Abubakar, etc.
Although the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) usually leads the Federal Government’s team, at the time of this report, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, led the government’s legal team for the proceedings.
On the defence side, Aliyu Abubakar, the Director General, Legal Aid Council, led the team of lawyers for the suspected terrorists.
NAN reports that security was heavily beefed up in and around the court.
NAN also reports that in the previous phase, no fewer than 500 alleged terrorists were tried between April 7 and April 10 in Abuja, in what the AGF described as phase nine of the mass trial exercise.
NAN reports that the federal government secured 1,721 terrorism-related convictions through its mass trial programme launched in October 2017.
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