FG set to prosecute 1,670 detained 'terrorists' in Niger

A statement issued on Sunday, September 24, on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Abubakar Malami, said the trial of 1,670 of the detainees in Wawa Barracks will commence in October.

It was disclosed that a special prosecution arrangement that will handle the trial has already been put in place.

The statement said that after exhausting the cases in Kainji, the cases of 651 suspects currently detained at Maiduguri prison, would be taken up by the special arrangement.

It said 220 other suspects detained in the Kainji detention facility would be released due to lack of evidence for any successful prosecution.

The soon-to-be-released suspects would, however, be subjected to "de-radicalization programme."

The AGF's spokesman, Mr. Salihu Isah, who signed the statement, said the 220 persons were "Boko Haram suspects who were hitherto investigated by the Joint Investigation Team set up by the Defence Headquarters otherwise known as DHQ/JIT and case files transmitted to the Honourable Attorney-General of the Federation and after a careful review of the cases based on their individual merit, it was discovered that they have no prima facie cases that will sustain a charge against them in any court of law hence were recommended for release and handed over to the Office of the National Security Adviser for rehabilitation and/or de-radicalisation."

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Isah added that the suspects constitute one of the four categories of terrorist suspects detained in the Kainji facility.