In a major milestone in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism campaign, 44 individuals have been convicted for financing terrorism and sentenced to 30 years imprisonment with hard labour.
The verdicts were handed down during the ongoing mass trial at the Kainji Military Facility in Niger State.
The convictions followed hearings presided over by four Federal High Court judges between July 9 and 11, marking Phase 7 of the mass trial of terrorism suspects initiated by the Federal Government.
Out of the 54 suspects arraigned, 44 were convicted, while 10 cases were adjourned for further hearing.
According to officials from the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC) and the Federal Ministry of Justice, the convicted individuals were found guilty of directly or indirectly providing financial support to terrorist groups operating in the country, including Boko Haram and the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
A senior government source described the convictions as part of a broader shift in Nigeria’s counter-terrorism strategy, which now aggressively targets the financial architecture sustaining insurgent groups.
“This phase of the trial reinforces our commitment to dismantling all support systems of terrorism — not just its armed cells,” said an official familiar with the proceedings.
The development comes amid growing pressure on Nigeria’s judicial and security institutions to prosecute thousands of detainees held over terrorism-related offenses.
Previous phases of the Kainji trial series have seen a range of convictions, from 10-year terms to life imprisonment, and in some cases, death sentences for high-level terrorist commanders.
The government has indicated that more trials are expected in the coming weeks, with hundreds of cases still pending before the courts.
