The Nigerian government on Monday commenced the arraignment of more than 400 terrorism suspects before judges of the Federal High Court in Abuja. The suspects are being arraigned in batches simultaneously across several courtrooms within the Federal High Court complex, with many regular cases postponed to allow judges to participate in the exercise.
Prosecution Team
The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, is leading the prosecution team, supported by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo. Both Mr. Fagbemi and Mr. Oyedepo are Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs). The Legal Aid Council of Nigeria is providing legal representation for indigent defendants.
Charges and Security
The suspects face charges of terrorism, terrorism financing, and aiding and abetting insurgent activities. The Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, John Tsoho, appointed judges for the special hearing sessions. PREMIUM TIMES observed heightened security around the court complex on Monday, with soldiers blocking roads leading to the court and stationing military vehicles at strategic locations. The security deployment coincided with the start of the mass terrorism trial.
Previous Trial
This exercise follows a similar mass terrorism trial conducted in the court in April, during which the Federal Government secured the conviction of 386 suspects on terrorism-related charges.
