A total of 312 suspected terrorists arrested by the military were ordered to be released by the Federal High Court in Borno due to insufficient evidence against them.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters announced on Thursday that in various operations nationwide over the span of a week, 121 terrorists were neutralized, 253 were captured, and 244 kidnapped hostages were rescued.
During a briefing in Abuja on Thursday, Maj. Gen. Buba Edward, the Director of Defence Media Operations, made these revelations.
He confirmed that the military would adhere to the court’s directive to release the suspected terrorists to the state government.
Buba stated, “A total of 312 suspects detained for terrorism-related offenses as per a Federal High Court order in Maiduguri were slated for release to the Borno State government. The court mandated their release due to lack of evidence following investigations and related matters.”
“These cases were prosecuted by the Department of Prosecution, Federal Ministry of Justice, and they will be handed over to the Borno State Government for further processing.”
NewsNow highlights that this is not the first instance of suspected terrorists being acquitted due to insufficient evidence.
Last year, on December 4, 2023, the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), reported that out of 1,323 terrorism suspects prosecuted, only 366 were convicted, with 896 others discharged due to lack of evidence.
Fagbemi emphasized, “The Kainji Prosecution Project has made significant strides since its inception in October 2017. During the first phase, we secured 366 convictions, discharged 896 due to insufficient evidence, and adjourned 61 cases for further review.”
“There have been three phases of the project from October 2017 to July 2018. I urge all stakeholders to maintain this momentum as it is crucial for the well-being of our nation and its citizens.”
Regarding recent military operations, Buba informed that in the North-East, Operation Hadin Kai troops eliminated 52 terrorists, apprehended 137, and rescued 78 hostages.
They also seized various arms, including rifles, handguns, and ammunition. In the North Central, Operations Safe Haven and Whirl Stroke eliminated 47 terrorists, arrested 17, and rescued four kidnap victims.
In the North-West, Operation Hadarin Daji troops neutralized 62 terrorists, arrested 12, and rescued 162 kidnapped hostages while recovering a cache of weapons including rifles, pistols, and ammunition.