By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA, June 16 (Reuters) – Nigeria has put hundreds more suspected Islamist militants on trial in its latest round of mass prosecutions, as authorities step up efforts to tackle a long-running insurgency, Attorney-General Lateef Fagbemi said on Tuesday.
Africa’s top oil producer is grappling with a 17-year insurgency led by Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) in the country’s northeast. The conflict has killed thousands and displaced at least 2 million people, aid groups say.
Eighty-four suspects are due in court on Tuesday, joining about 490 already on trial since Monday at a federal court in Abuja, Fagbemi said. Another 102 cases have been carried over from a previous trial.
“The message is to let everybody know that terrorism in whatever shape or form is not to be condoned or tolerated,” Fagbemi said.
Proceedings this week mark the fourth phase of terrorism trials under President Bola Tinubu. Over the past decade, mass trials have become a key part of the Nigerian government’s strategy to counter militancy.
Authorities said 386 suspected Islamist militants were convicted in April, with sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Aidan Lewis)
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