The Federal Government has begun moves to fast track the prosecution of about 5,000 persons currently in pre trial detention over terrorism related offences nationwide.
The high number of detainees has created a backlog of cases, prompting a coordinated legal review by security and justice sector stakeholders.
According to the 2025 to 2030 Strategic Plan of the National Counter Terrorism Centre obtained on Wednesday, the NCTC is working with the Defence Headquarters and the Federal Ministry of Justice to review case files with a view to accelerating trials or dismissing cases that lack sufficient evidence.
The document disclosed that the review process has resulted in coordinated hearings by the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja and at the Wawa Military Cantonment in Niger State.
It stated that in 2024, a total of 393 terrorism related cases were prosecuted, leading to 329 convictions. This pushed Nigeria’s conviction rate in terrorism cases to 84 per cent, a significant increase from the 41.5 per cent recorded in 2018.
The NCTC further revealed that charges against about 1,200 detainees were reviewed and dismissed, resulting in their release and reintegration into their communities.
As part of renewed counter terrorism reforms, the government plans to introduce DNA profiling into a proposed National Database on Terrorism to strengthen investigations, prosecutions and intelligence sharing. The database, to be domiciled in the Office of the National Security Adviser, will house biometric and intelligence data on known and suspected terrorists.
Meanwhile, the military says intensified operations in the North West have placed notorious bandit leader Bello Turji and other armed group leaders under sustained pressure, forcing them into constant movement and weakening their operational capacity.
