The Federal Government has secured 2,512 convictions in terrorism-related cases after recording 791 additional convictions in the 11th phase of mass trials at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, Maj. Gen. Adamu Laka, disclosed this on Tuesday during a press briefing marking the conclusion of the latest phase of trials.
The trials were conducted between October 15 and 17, and October 22 and 24, 2026.
Laka said the first 10 phases of the trials produced 1,721 convictions, while the latest phase added 791, bringing the total to 2,512.
According to him, 1,069 cases were handled across 10 courts of the Federal High Court in Abuja during the latest phase.
The outcomes included 791 convictions, seven acquittals, 41 discharges, four cases struck out, three withdrawn, 211 adjourned, 11 pending and one classified under another category.
“During the 11th phase, an additional 791 convictions were recorded, bringing the cumulative number of convictions across all 11 phases to 2,512,” Laka said.
He disclosed that one of the notable outcomes was the conviction and death sentence imposed on a Boko Haram member, Suleiman Abu, for belonging to the terrorist group and participating in attacks on military facilities and civilians, resulting in deaths and serious injuries.
Laka said the judgment reflected the commitment of Nigeria’s justice system to holding perpetrators of terrorism accountable.
He added that the latest phase also focused on the financial networks sustaining terrorism, with 201 terrorism-financing cases handled by the courts.
The coordinator described the disruption of such networks as critical to the country’s counter-terrorism strategy, noting that financing enabled terrorist groups to procure weapons, recruit members, move personnel and carry out attacks.
“Accountability extends beyond direct perpetrators to persons who knowingly finance, facilitate or otherwise support terrorism,” he said.
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Laka, however, stressed that the government’s counter-terrorism prosecution was not driven by a desire to secure convictions at all costs, but by the need to ensure justice and protect defendants’ rights.
He said acquittals, discharges and other judicial outcomes were also necessary components of a credible justice system, adding that guilt must be established beyond reasonable doubt.
Meanwhile, the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), said the Federal Government would ensure that defendants whose rights had been violated were compensated in accordance with the law.
Oyedepo said constitutional rights applied to everyone, including persons accused of serious crimes.
“Government must act in accordance with the law. If you check Chapter Four of the Constitution, that gives rights to everyone of us, even the most hardened criminal. Those provisions or principles must be respected,” he said.
He explained that defendants who believed their rights had been infringed could approach the courts for appropriate remedies, including damages and an apology.
Oyedepo also said the government would ensure that legal advice recommending the release of defendants was implemented.
He, however, cautioned against individuals seeking to exploit alleged rights violations to obtain financial benefits from the government, saying only genuine claims would attract compensation.
Nigeria began mass trials of suspected terrorists in October 2017, with the first phase held at the Wawa Military Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State.
The second phase commenced on February 12, 2018, at the same facility, following the conclusion of investigations into more than 1,000 suspects.
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