Abuja: In a significant legal move, Nigerian courts have convicted 125 Boko Haram Islamist militants and financiers on various terrorism-related charges this week, according to the attorney-general’s office. The convictions mark a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s ongoing battle against the Boko Haram insurgency, which has claimed thousands of lives and displaced millions since its inception in 2009. This conflict has spurred a severe humanitarian crisis in northeastern Nigeria and heightened demands for governmental action to resolve the strife.
Kamarudeen Ogundele, the spokesman for the Attorney-General’s office, stated in a release late Friday, “They were convicted of charges bordering on terrorism, terrorism financing, rendering material support, and cases relating to International Criminal Courts (ICC) criminality.”
The last mass trials for Boko Haram suspects were conducted between 2017 and 2018, resulting in the conviction of 163 individuals while 887 were acquitted. Ogundele also noted that from these earlier convictions, 400 defendants who had served their sentences were transferred to the Operation Safe Corridor rehabilitation center in Gombe State, northeast Nigeria. This center focuses on rehabilitation, deradicalization, and the eventual reintegration of former militants.
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Boko Haram’s notoriety reached global heights in April 2014 when the group abducted more than 270 schoolgirls from Chibok, a town in northeastern Nigeria. This abduction triggered international outrage and led to the creation of the global “#BringBackOurGirls” campaign. Despite efforts, over half of the abducted girls have returned, many of them now mothers of multiple children.
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The recent convictions included 85 individuals for terrorism financing, 22 for ICC-related crimes, and the remaining for various acts of terrorism.
