The Federal Government has secured 1,721 terrorism-related convictions since the launch of its Mass Trial Programme in October 2017, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has disclosed….
The Federal Government has secured 1,721 terrorism-related convictions since the launch of its Mass Trial Programme in October 2017, the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) has disclosed.
Speaking during a joint security briefing in Abuja on Thursday, the Director of Legal Services at ONSA, Zakari Mijinyawa, said the programme, coordinated by ONSA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Judiciary and security agencies, has completed 10 phases of terrorism trials.
Mijinyawa said the programme has also ensured that defendants were discharged or acquitted where prosecutors failed to establish guilt beyond reasonable doubt, in line with constitutional guarantees of due process and fair trial.
According to him, the first three phases of the trials, conducted between 2017 and 2018, recorded 366 convictions, 882 discharges, five acquittals and 61 adjourned cases.
He said phases four to eight, held between 2023 and 2025, resulted in 490 convictions involving terrorism financing, international crimes and sexual and gender-based violence.
Mijinyawa added that phases nine and 10, concluded in 2026, secured 865 convictions—more than half of all terrorism-related convictions recorded under the programme since its inception.
He noted that the 2026 convictions alone surpassed the combined total of 856 convictions secured during the previous nine years of the initiative.
He reaffirmed the Federal Government’s commitment to prosecuting terrorism offences while upholding the rule of law and the constitutional rights of accused persons.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters said the Armed Forces neutralised 1,597 terrorists and insurgents and rescued 1,516 kidnapped victims during 14,221 operations conducted nationwide between January and June 2026.
Representing the Director of Defence Information, Major General Samaila Uba, Group Captain Kabiru Ali said the military also recovered 451 firearms, 16,726 rounds of ammunition, 161 explosives and improvised explosive devices during coordinated land, air and maritime operations.
He said military operations covered major security flashpoints across Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Katsina, Kwara, Zamfara, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Oyo and Kaduna states, with intelligence-led missions disrupting terrorist and criminal activities.
According to him, troops rescued 261 kidnapped victims from terrorist enclaves, neutralised 412 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters, arrested 332 terrorists and recovered weapons, motorcycles and livestock. He added that 132 insurgents surrendered during the period due to sustained military pressure, while troops safely detonated 31 improvised explosive devices.
The military also undertook 33 peacebuilding initiatives, 13 public sensitisation campaigns and 33 stakeholder engagements with traditional and religious leaders to strengthen civil-military relations.
The Defence Headquarters said it issued 593 press releases, countered 15 cases of misinformation and released 10 public advisories to improve public awareness.
Also speaking, the Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Iniedu Okokon, said the Nigeria Police Force intensified intelligence-led policing, leading to the arrest of thousands of criminal suspects, the rescue of kidnapped victims and the recovery of firearms and ammunition across the country.
He said the Force Intelligence Department’s Response Team arrested 50 suspects linked to terrorism, kidnapping and armed robbery, recovering 17 rifles, an anti-aircraft launcher and 111 rounds of ammunition.
Okokon disclosed that police dismantled a 33-member criminal network involved in terrorism, cattle rustling and violent attacks in Kwara State, while also arresting suspects linked to the killing of three police officers in Taraba State.
He added that operatives rescued a kidnapped woman and her 12-year-old twin sons during an operation on June 6, neutralising two kidnappers and recovering two firearms.
According to him, strengthened border security led to the interception of 181 rounds of ammunition along the Abuja-Kaduna corridor, while improved collaboration with INTERPOL enhanced efforts against transnational crime.
He further revealed that police dismantled a railway vandalism syndicate and recovered about 60 tonnes of vandalised railway materials valued at approximately ₦400 million.