The Federal Government, on Monday, commenced the arraignment of more than 400 terrorism suspects before judges of the Federal High Courts in Abuja.
The suspects were being arraigned in batches across several courtrooms within the Federal High Court complex, with many regular court proceedings temporarily suspended to enable judges participate in the special exercise.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), is leading the prosecution team, supported by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
The defendants were facing various charges, including terrorism, terrorism financing, and aiding and abetting insurgent activities.
The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria is providing legal representation for indigent suspects.
The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, Justice John Tsoho, appointed judges of the court to preside over the special terrorism trial sessions.
Security was significantly heightened around the Federal High Court complex on Monday as the proceedings commenced. Soldiers blocked major access roads leading to the court and deployed military vehicles at strategic locations within the area.
The heavy security presence coincided with the start of the large-scale terrorism trial, one of the biggest such exercises undertaken by the Federal Government in recent years.
The latest proceedings followed a similar mass terrorism trial earlier conducted in April, during which the Federal Government announced that it secured the conviction of 386 suspects on terrorism-related charges.
The ongoing exercise formed part of the government’s efforts to prosecute individuals accused of involvement in insurgency, terrorism financing, and other activities linked to insecurity across the country.
