The Federal Government has said it secured 1,721 convictions for terrorism and related offences since the commencement of its mass trial programme in October 2017.
The Director of Legal Services in 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.
Naijaonpoint reports that Mijinyawa said the programme, coordinated by the ONSA in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Justice, the Judiciary, security agencies and international partners, had completed 10 phases of terrorism trials.
“Since the commencement of the programme in October 2017, 10 phases of mass trials have been successfully conducted, resulting in 1,721 convictions for terrorism and related offences,” he said.
Mijinyawa said the programme also ensured that defendants against whom the prosecution failed to prove its case were discharged or acquitted.
He said the first three phases, conducted between 2017 and 2018 at Wawa Cantonment, Kainji, recorded 366 convictions, 882 discharges, five acquittals and 61 adjourned cases.
According to him, Phase Four in 2023 secured 14 convictions, while Phases Five and Six in 2024 produced 351 convictions.
He said Phases Seven and Eight, conducted in 2025, recorded 125 additional convictions.
Mijinyawa added that Phases Nine and Ten, conducted in 2026 at the Federal High Court, Maitama, Abuja, produced 865 convictions, alongside 28 discharges, one acquittal and 224 adjourned cases.
He said the 865 convictions recorded in 2026 accounted for more than half of all terrorism-related convictions since 2017.
Meanwhile, the Defence Headquarters said troops neutralised 1,597 terrorists and insurgents, rescued 1,516 kidnapped victims and conducted 14,221 operations nationwide between January and June 2026.
The Director of Defence Information, Maj. Gen. Samaila Uba, represented by Group Capt. Kabiru Ali, said the operations covered major security flashpoints in Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Katsina, Kwara, Zamfara, Sokoto, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Oyo and Kaduna states.
He said troops recovered 451 firearms, 16,726 rounds of ammunition, 161 explosives and improvised explosive devices.
According to him, troops also neutralised 412 Boko Haram and ISWAP fighters, arrested 332 terrorists, rescued 261 kidnapped victims from terrorist enclaves and received 132 surrendered insurgents.
The Force Public Relations Officer, CSP Anietie Iniedu, said the Nigeria Police Force dismantled several criminal networks and strengthened intelligence-led policing during the first half of the year.
He said the Force Intelligence Department’s Intelligence Response Team arrested 50 suspects linked to terrorism, kidnapping and armed robbery, and recovered 17 rifles, an anti-aircraft launcher and 111 rounds of ammunition.
Iniedu said police also dismantled a 33-member criminal network involved in terrorism, cattle rustling and violent attacks in Kwara State.
He added that operatives rescued a kidnapped woman and her 12-year-old twin sons on June 6 after neutralising two kidnappers and recovering two firearms.
The police also said they dismantled a railway vandalism syndicate and recovered about 60 tonnes of vandalised railway materials valued at approximately N400m.
The security agencies urged Nigerians to continue providing timely and credible intelligence to support ongoing operations.
