Nigerian courts have so far convicted about 653 suspects in the Federal Government’s ongoing mass trial of defendants indicted for belonging to Boko Haram, concealing information about its operations, or financing terrorism.
This was disclosed by the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, on Friday during a press interview attended by Nairametrics.
Nairametrics earlier reported in April 2026 that the court, presided over by Justice Binta Nyako, had sentenced Hamat Modu to 40 years’ imprisonment for providing logistical support to Boko Haram terrorists in Borno State.
Modu was at the time, arraigned by Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation.
What the AGF said
According to the AGF, the development marks the 11th phase of the Federal Government’s prosecution of terrorism suspects arrested by security operatives.
- “For this 11th phase, I would say that we have 1,060 suspects brought for trial. We are not through with it,” he said.
He noted that, as of 12:45 p.m. on Friday, 880 trials had been conducted, resulting in 653 convictions.
- “Out of these 880, 653 have been convicted, seven acquitted, 27 discharged,” he added, noting that a final figure would be announced at the end of the trial.
- He described the mass trial as “the largest since we started.”
Fagbemi acknowledged the cooperation of the courts, law enforcement agencies, and lawyers, stressing that the Federal Government would ensure that terrorism, terrorism financing, and related activities were not given any space in Nigeria.
More details of the terrorism trial
Nairametrics monitored the mass trial before Justices James Omotosho, Salim Ibrahim, and Binta Nyako.
Several defendants pleaded guilty to concealing information about their knowledge of Boko Haram’s activities.
One of the defendants was convicted and sentenced to 45 years’ while another bagged 12 years’ imprisonment before Justice Nyako.
Those who pleaded not guilty were remanded for further trial.
Nigeria’s efforts to combat terrorism financing
In 2022, the Federal Government, through the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), announced the identification of 96 suspected financiers of terrorism across the country, particularly those linked to Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The agency also identified 424 associates and supporters connected to these financiers.
The then Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, disclosed this during a press conference on the anti-corruption efforts of the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari.
He further revealed that authorities had uncovered 123 companies and 33 bureau de change operators linked to terrorism financing, alongside 26 suspected bandits and kidnappers and seven co-conspirators.
Previous terrorism financing prosecutions
The latest development comes amid the government’s efforts to combat terrorist attacks in northern Nigeria and public criticism over their recurrence.
- In May 2021, the Federal Government announced that it had begun profiling prominent Nigerians suspected of financing terrorism for prosecution.
- The government had earlier stated that it would arraign about 400 suspects arrested for allegedly funding Boko Haram insurgents and bandits.
- The suspects were arrested in a joint operation coordinated by the Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit (NFIU), and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).
In a related development, authorities in the United Arab Emirates named six Nigerians as financiers of terrorist organisations, including Boko Haram, in September 2021.
The individuals had previously been tried and convicted in the UAE, with an appellate court upholding their convictions for funding terrorist groups.