The United States has praised Nigeria for accelerating prosecutions in terrorism cases, following the conviction of 386 suspects in recent mass trials in Nigerian courts.

Massad Boulos, an advisor to US President Donald Trump on Arab and African affairs, stated in a post on the X platform that Washington welcomes the Nigerian judicial conviction, describing it as an important step towards promoting accountability and justice.

In the same context, the Nigerian Attorney General convicted nearly 400 gunmen following mass trials held this week in the capital, Abuja, according to Reuters.

The trials began last Tuesday and are part of a series of trials involving suspected members of Boko Haram and the Islamic State in West Africa Province that began in 2017 with more than 2,000 defendants.

Nigerian court rulings

Nigerian Attorney General Latif Fagbemi explained in his remarks that more than 500 cases were submitted to the Federal High Court during the recent proceedings, adding, “We submitted 508 cases to the court, and of these, we were able to obtain 386 convictions, eight acquittals, two acquittals, and 112 cases were adjourned to the next hearing or stage.”.

Sentences ranged from 5 years to life imprisonment, and judges stipulated that convicts must undergo rehabilitation and counter-extremism programs to support their reintegration into society.

Humanitarian organizations say that the Boko Haram insurgency, which began in 2009 in the northeast of the country, has killed tens of thousands and displaced more than two million people.