The Federal Government has commenced mass trial of suspected terrorists with alleged terrorism-related offences at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
It was gathered that over 400 of the suspected terrorists would be arraigned simultaneously at the Federal High Court with different judges.
The trials are expected to run for one week, with Justices Binta Nyako, Emeka Nwite, Musa Liman, James Omotosho, Obiora Egwuatu, and Ekerete Akpan among the bench of judges handling the proceedings.
The prosecution is being led by the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, while the Director-General of the Legal Aid Council, Aliyu Abubakar, headed the defence team.
Before Justice Nwite alone, 58 suspected terrorists were listed for trial, including Abba Bukar, Abba Manye, Gujja Mala Bukar, Brem Gonimi, Isa Mohammed, Lawali Dashiri Danke, Yau Tukur, also known as Mai-Auduga, and Bello Liman, aka Bell Doctor, among others.
Security was tightened around the court premises, with armed personnel restricting movement on roads leading to the complex and military vehicles strategically stationed within the vicinity.
The development follows an earlier mass trial involving about 500 suspected terrorists between April 7 and 10 in Abuja, which the AGF described as the ninth phase of the exercise.
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.
