1,450 Terrorists Awaiting Trial As Military Laments Delayed Prosecution

Investigations have been completed into the involvement of a total of 1, 450 terrorists for the commencement of their trial, the Joint Investigation Centre (JIC) has disclosed.

The Acting Commander JIC, Colonel AU Ahmed, who was represented by Captain Olugbenga Adeniyi stated this while briefing journalists on the activities of the Centre.

Col. Ahmed said the 1,450 terrorists were part of the 1,877 terrorists being investigated at the Centre for their involvement in terrorism activities.

He said upon completion, those not involved were rehabilitated, some sent for deradicalisation while the active members of terrorist groups were sent to the Giwa Centre in Kainji for trial.

“After the investigation, the Complex Casework Group (CCG) carries out the review of the investigation reports and offer the necessary legal advice.

“Based on the result of the investigations and the legal review, the detainees are categorised into 3 groups; which are Prosecution, Rehabilitation and Reintegration.

“Those recommended for prosecution are taken to Giwa Project in Kainji, those for rehabilitation are moved to Op SAFE CORRIDOR, and those for reintegration are handed over to the Borno State Government,” he said.

He added that the Centre found it difficult to access witnesses during investigation and trial.

Ahmed also lamented the effects of delayed prosecution of terrorists after the completion of investigation.

He stressed despite living up to its mandate, the Centre is faced with a number of challenges including difficulty in accessing witnesses and delay in prosecution.

He explained, “The Centre faces difficulty in securing most of the witnesses that would have aided the investigations. This is partly due to lack of accessibility by own investigators to most of the areas of arrest or crime scene, unwillingness of some witnesses to come forward and testify.

“The delay in prosecution of most of the suspects whose investigations have been completed also poses a great challenge to the Centre.

“Most of the suspects in detention are awaiting prosecution; however, the delay in prosecution is responsible for the continuous stay of the suspects in detention longer than necessary”.