Nigeria imprisons over 40 for terrorism financing

Nigeria imprisons over 40 for terrorism financing
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Nigeria has sentenced 44 Boko Haram militants to prison terms of 10 to 30 years with hard labor for financing terrorism, Arab News reported quoting Abu Michael, spokesperson for the country’s counterterrorism center.

These convictions came from trials held at a military base in Kainji, Niger state, where 54 suspects faced charges. Trials resumed recently after a seven-year suspension involving over 1,000 suspected jihadists linked to the insurgency that began in 2009.

With these latest rulings, Nigeria has secured 785 terrorism-related convictions. The remaining 10 suspects’ trials were postponed.

Nigeria is on the “grey list” of international monitors for weak measures against money laundering and terrorism financing. The military’s 16-year campaign against Boko Haram has killed over 40,000 people and displaced about two million, with violence spreading to neighboring countries.

Mass trials started in 2017, resulting in 200 convictions with sentences ranging from death to life imprisonment. Human rights groups accuse the military of arbitrary arrests and prolonged detentions without legal access.