Court convicts 45 Boko Haram members

THE Federal High Court sitting in Kainji, Niger State, convicted and sentenced 45 members of the dreaded Boko Haram to between three and 31 years in jail, following the conclusion of the first phase of the trial during which 575 suspects were arraigned.

In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, signed by the Senior Special Assistant, Media to the Minister of Information and Culture, Segun Adeyemi, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the Court also discharged 468 suspects who had no case to answer.

The statement said thirty-four cases were struck out, while 28 suspects were remanded for trial in Abuja and Minna

The Court ordered that the 468 discharged persons should undergo deradicalization and rehabilitation programs before they are handed over to their respective state governments.

The trial commenced with the formal remand by the Court of 1,669 suspects for a period of 90 days, with the Court ordering that they be arraigned within the specified period or released unconditionally.

The Court adjourned the trial of other suspects to January 2018.

The Boko Haram sect had, since 2006 destroyed several lives and property, especially in the Northern Eastern part of the country.

The Military under the present administration has reportedly quelled the activities of the insurgents to some extent.