By Ochiaka Ugwu
The Director of Public Prosecution, Office of the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Mohammed said that a total of 742 convictions were secured in terrorism trials conducted at the Kanji detention facility covering six phases of trials held between 2017 and 2024.
Mohammed who made this known Monday while addressing newsmen at the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC) in Abuja stated that 1,743 cases were processed with 888 suspects discharged and acquitted for lack of sufficient evidence.
Continuing, Mohammed revealed that 92 of these cases were adjourned noting that in the last phase of the trails completed December 2024, 237 cases were disposed-of with sentences ranging from 60 t0 70 years imprisonment and life jail for those found guilty.
Mohammed informed that the suspects were tried for Act of terrorism, terrorism financing and ICC criminalities.
Also speaking, National Coordinator of National Counter Terrorism Centre, Gen. Garba Laka said that in order to ensure transparency and observation of international standards and human rights demands, the trials being held before the Federal High Court are supervised by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Office of the Honourable Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice in collaboration with the National Counter Terrorism Centre.
According to Gen. Laka, “The instruments which provide the legal basis upon which persons or entities are designated terrorists and therefore subjected to the criminal investigations and prosecutions by the Nigerian Government include Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As amended), Section 15 of the Nigeria’s Economic and Financial Crimes Act, 2004, and Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022 amongst others.
“Some of these laws identify and criminalize acts or omissions that constitute acts of terrorism and prescribe punishments accordingly while others make provision for the procedures to be followed in the administration of criminal justice within the context of terrorism” he noted.
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