Nearly 400 people have been sentenced in Nigeria for links with militant Islamic groups following mass trials. The convicts were given sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment after being connected to Boko Haram or a rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap).
The trials occurred amidst increasing pressure on the Nigerian government to curb rising insecurity in the country. Security forces are currently engaged in battles against multiple armed groups, including militant Islamists and separatist factions.
Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency in Nigeria's northeast since 2009, resulting in the deaths of tens of thousands and displacing over two million people, according to reports from aid groups.
These legal actions have come as the United States recently advised its citizens to reconsider traveling to Nigeria due to deteriorating security conditions.
More than 500 suspects faced trial in the federal high court in Abuja for various charges, from participating in attacks to providing support, such as funding or logistical aid to these militant groups. Ultimately, judges convicted 386 individuals; the fates of 112 other suspects are still pending.
The U.S. conducted airstrikes in northern Sokoto state targeting militant enclaves in response to allegations of widespread persecution against Christians in the region, allegations the Nigerian government refutes, asserting that all communities are victims of violence.
