By Nkechi Eze
The Federal Government has secured 2,512 convictions in terrorism-related cases since the commencement of mass trials in 2017, following the conclusion of the 11th phase of the exercise, which produced 791 convictions.
The latest phase, conducted in October 2026 at the Federal High Court, Abuja, involved 1,069 cases handled across 10 courts, bringing the cumulative number of convictions recorded in the 11 phases to 2,512.
The National Coordinator of the National Counter Terrorism Centre (NCTC), Office of the National Security Adviser, Major General Adamu Laka, disclosed the figures during a press briefing, describing the outcomes as a demonstration of the government’s sustained efforts to ensure accountability for terrorism-related offences.
He explained that the first 10 phases of the mass trials had produced 1,721 convictions, while the latest exercise added another 791 convictions.
According to Laka, apart from the convictions, the courts recorded seven acquittals, 41 discharges, four cases struck out, three withdrawn cases, 211 adjournments, 11 pending cases and one case classified under another category.
One of the significant outcomes of the latest exercise was the conviction of Suleiman Abu, who was sentenced to death by the Federal High Court for his involvement in Boko Haram activities.
Laka said the court found Abu guilty of membership of the terrorist group and participation in attacks against military installations and civilians, which resulted in deaths and serious injuries.
He maintained that the judgment reinforced the principle that individuals involved in terrorism must be held accountable whenever their criminal responsibility is established in accordance with the law.
The NCTC coordinator stressed that the government’s counter-terrorism campaign was not limited to securing convictions but also focused on ensuring that cases were handled fairly, objectively and in strict compliance with the rule of law.
He noted that terrorism continued to pose a serious threat to national security, economic development and the well-being of citizens, adding that its consequences included loss of lives, destruction of families and displacement of communities.
Laka commended the judiciary, prosecuting authorities, investigative agencies, defence counsel and other institutions involved in the trials for their contributions to the administration of criminal justice.
He further disclosed that the latest phase placed considerable attention on the financial networks supporting terrorist activities, with 201 terrorism-financing cases handled by the courts.
According to him, dismantling such networks remains critical to weakening terrorist organisations, as their financiers and facilitators provide resources for weapons acquisition, recruitment, movement and operational activities.
He assured that the Federal Government would continue to strengthen collaboration among investigative agencies, prosecuting authorities, financial intelligence institutions and other relevant stakeholders to identify and dismantle the financial structures sustaining terrorism.
The 11th phase of the mass terrorism trials was conducted between October 15 and 17 and October 22 and 24, 2026.
The Federal Government commenced the mass trial of suspected Boko Haram members in October 2017 at the Wawa Military Cantonment in Kainji, Niger State, as part of efforts to accelerate the prosecution of terrorism-related cases and strengthen accountability for insurgency-related crimes.
