The Federal Government says it has secured the conviction of 1,721 terrorists since the commencement of its Mass Trial Programme in October 2017.
Director of Legal Services at the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), Zakari Mijinyawa, disclosed this on Thursday during a joint security briefing by spokespersons of security, defence and law enforcement agencies in Abuja.
Mijinyawa said the programme, coordinated by the ONSA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the judiciary and security agencies, has completed 10 phases of terrorism trials.
He said, “The programme has secured 1,721 convictions since its inception in 2017.”
According to him, the initiative also discharged or acquitted defendants where evidence failed to prove guilt beyond reasonable doubt, in line with due process and fair trial standards.
He explained that the first three phases held between 2017 and 2018 recorded 366 convictions, while phases four to eight conducted between 2023 and 2025 produced 490 convictions.
Mijinyawa added that phases nine and 10 conducted in 2026 alone secured 865 convictions, representing more than half of all terrorism-related convictions recorded under the programme.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to ensuring accountability for terrorism offences while upholding the rule of law and constitutional guarantees of fair trial.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters said troops killed 1,597 terrorists and insurgents, rescued 1,516 kidnapped victims and conducted 14,221 operations across the country between January and June 2026.
The military also said troops recovered hundreds of firearms, ammunition and explosives, while the Nigeria Police Force announced the arrest of dozens of suspects linked to terrorism, kidnapping and armed robbery, alongside the recovery of weapons and other exhibits during the same period.
