Nigeria is intensifying its legal offensive against Islamist militancy, with hundreds of additional suspects now facing prosecution in what officials describe as a continued push to stamp out terrorism, the country’s Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi announced Tuesday.
The West African nation has been battling a 17-year insurgency driven by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province, known as ISWAP, primarily in the country’s northeastern region. Aid organizations report the violence has left thousands dead and forced at least 2 million people from their homes.
Fagbemi said 84 additional suspects were scheduled to appear in court Tuesday, joining roughly 490 others who have already been brought before a federal court in Abuja since Monday. An additional 102 cases were carried over from a prior round of proceedings.
“The message is to let everybody know that terrorism in whatever shape or form is not to be condoned or tolerated,” Fagbemi said.
This week’s proceedings mark the fourth phase of terrorism trials held under President Bola Tinubu. Over the past decade, large-scale mass trials have become a central tool in the Nigerian government’s strategy to combat militant activity.
In April, authorities announced that 386 suspected Islamist militants had been convicted, receiving sentences that ranged from five years in prison to life behind bars.
