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The Federal Government has said it has secured 1,721 terrorism convictions since the commencement of its Mass Trial Programme in October 2017.

This was disclosed by the Director, Legal Services, Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Mr Zakari Mijinyawa, on Thursday during a joint security news briefing by the spokespersons of the security, defence and law enforcement agencies in Abuja.

Mijinyawa said the programme, coordinated by the ONSA, Federal Ministry of Justice, Judiciary and security agencies, had completed 10 phases of terrorism trials.

According to him, the programme has also discharged or acquitted defendants where evidence failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, in line with due process and fair trial standards.

He said the first three phases conducted between 2017 and 2018 recorded 366 convictions, 882 discharges, five acquittals and 61 adjourned cases.

Mijinyawa said phases four to eight, conducted between 2023 and 2025, produced 490 convictions, including terrorism financing, international crimes and sexual and gender-based violence cases.

He said that phases nine and 10, conducted in 2026, secured 865 convictions, representing more than half of all terrorism-related convictions recorded since 2017.

According to him, the 2026 convictions exceeded the combined total of 856 convictions secured during the preceding nine years of the programme.

He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring accountability for terrorism offences while upholding constitutional guarantees of fair trial and the rule of law.

However, the Defence Headquarters said the military had neutralised 1,597 terrorists and insurgents and rescued 1,516 kidnapped victims in 14,221 operations conducted nationwide between January and June.

The Director, Defence Information, Maj.-Gen. Samaila Uba, represented by Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, said the operations were conducted through coordinated land, air and maritime missions across the country.

Uba said troops also recovered 451 firearms, 16,726 rounds of ammunition, 161 explosives and improvised explosive devices (IEDs), denying criminal groups the means to sustain their operations.

According to him, operations covered major security flashpoints in Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Katsina, Kwara, Zamfara, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Oyo and Kaduna States.

He said troops responded through intelligence-driven operations, clearance missions, targeted raids and rescue operations, disrupting criminal activities and improving security in affected communities.

The defence spokesperson said troops rescued 261 kidnapped victims from terrorist enclaves, neutralised 412 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters, arrested 332 terrorists and recovered weapons, motorcycles and livestock.

He added that 132 Boko Haram and ISWAP members surrendered during the period due to sustained military pressure, while troops safely detonated 31 improvised explosive devices.

He said the military also strengthened civil-military relations through 33 peacebuilding initiatives, 13 public sensitisation campaigns and 33 stakeholder engagements with traditional and religious leaders.

Uba said the Armed Forces issued 593 press releases, countered 15 cases of misinformation and released 10 public advisories to improve public awareness and strategic communication.

He reaffirmed the military’s commitment to sustaining operations against terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, separatist violence and crude oil theft across the country.

He urged Nigerians to remain vigilant and continue providing timely and actionable intelligence to security agencies to support ongoing operations and restore lasting peace.

On its part, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Iniedu Okokon, said the Nigeria Police Force (NPF) dismantled criminal networks and strengthened intelligence-led policing nationwide during the period.

Okokon said police operations resulted in the arrest of thousands of criminal suspects, rescue of kidnapped victims and recovery of firearms, ammunition and other exhibits across the country.

He said the Force Intelligence Department’s Response Team arrested 50 suspects linked to terrorism, kidnapping and armed robbery, recovering 17 rifles, an anti-aircraft launcher and 111 rounds of ammunition.

According to him, the police dismantled a 33-member criminal network involved in terrorism, cattle rustling and violent attacks in Kwara State and arrested suspects linked to the murder of three police officers in Taraba State.

He said operatives rescued a kidnapped woman and her 12-year-old twin sons during an operation on June 6, neutralising two kidnappers and recovering two firearms.

Okokon added that strengthened border security led to the interception of 181 rounds of ammunition along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor and enhanced collaboration with INTERPOL against transnational crimes.

He said police also dismantled a railway vandalism syndicate, recovering about 60 tonnes of vandalised railway materials valued at about N400 million. (NAN)

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