No fewer than 44 terrorists have been sentenced to jail terms ranging from 10 to 30 years with hard labour by four Federal High Courts.
Abu Michael, Head, Department of Strategic Communication, National Counter-Terrorism Centre, Office of the National Security Adviser, stated that the convictions were obtained during court sessions between July 9 and 11, 2025.
Michael said in a statement on Friday that the 44 terrorists were among 54 individuals arraigned in the most recent phase of the trials and that the remaining 10 cases had been delayed for additional hearings.
The convictions follow Phase 6, which saw 200 terrorists condemned to death, life in prison, and a variety of other punishments for atrocities ranging from mass massacres and abductions to attacks on religious and civil institutions.
With the completion of Phase 7, Nigeria now has 785 terrorism-related convictions.
The statement partly read, “Nigeria has continued to bolster its criminal justice system, securing convictions for 44 out of 54 individuals recently arraigned in Phase 7 of the Kainji Detention Facility Terrorism Trial. The remaining 10 cases were adjourned during proceedings held across four courts, presided over by four Federal High Court justices.
“The verdicts delivered from the trials resulted in prison sentences ranging from 10 to 30 years, all to be served with hard labour, underscoring the severity of the crimes and the Nigerian justice system’s resolve to uphold accountability and deter future transgressions.”
On Wednesday, the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, was represented by the NCTC Coordinator, Maj Gen Adamu Laka, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to seeking justice through due process.
Also speaking at the opening, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, represented by the Federation’s Director of Public Prosecution, Mohammed Abubakar, reaffirmed the Ministry of Justice’s commitment to prosecuting terrorism cases transparently and decisively.
