A total of 313 suspected terrorists detained by the military have been ordered to be released by the Federal High Court in Borno due to insufficient evidence against them.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters announced that in a week-long operation across the nation, troops managed to eliminate 121 terrorists, capture 253 individuals, and successfully rescue 244 kidnapped hostages.
During a briefing in Abuja, Maj. Gen. Buba Edward, the Director of Defence Media Operations, revealed these developments and confirmed the military’s commitment to abide by the court’s decision to release the suspects to the state government.
In compliance with the court order from the Federal High Court in Maiduguri, 313 individuals held on charges related to terrorism will be handed over to the Borno State government as directed by the court due to lack of substantial evidence following extensive investigations and legal proceedings.
This decision underscores an ongoing trend where suspected terrorists are being acquitted on grounds of insufficient evidence, as previously reported by NewsNow.
Regarding the overall prosecution of terrorism-related cases, the Minister of Justice and the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), highlighted that out of 1,323 suspects prosecuted, only 366 resulted in convictions while 896 were discharged due to lack of evidence.
On military operations conducted in the past week, Maj. Gen. Buba provided a breakdown of successful missions in different regions of the country. In the North-East, Operation Hadin Kai troops neutralized 52 terrorists, arrested 137 individuals, and rescued 78 hostages.
Operations in the North Central led to the death of 47 terrorists, capture of 17 suspects, and the liberation of four kidnap victims along with the recovery of a significant arms cache. In the North-West, Operation Hadarin Daji resulted in 62 terrorists neutralized, 12 apprehended, and 162 kidnapped individuals freed.
The recovered items during these operations include various firearms and ammunition, highlighting the military’s proactive efforts in maintaining security and combating terrorist threats across different regions.