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| File Photo: Boko Haram Leader Shekau |
A Federal High Court sitting in Kainji, Niger State, North Central, Nigeria, has convicted and sentenced 45 Boko Haram members to between 3 and 31 years in jail, following the conclusion of the first phase of the trial during which 575 Boko Haram suspects were arraigned.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said the Court also discharged 468 suspects who had no case to answer.
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 de-radicalization and rehabilitation programmes 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.
