The Federal Government is moving to accelerate the prosecution of about 5,000 individuals currently held in pre-trial detention over terrorism-related offences across the country.
According to the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC), the large number of detainees has created a major backlog of cases. The NCTC said its legal team, working with the Defence Headquarters and the Federal Ministry of Justice, is reviewing case files to either fast-track prosecutions or dismiss cases without sufficient evidence.
In 2024 alone, 393 terrorism-related cases were prosecuted, leading to 329 convictions and pushing Nigeria’s conviction rate to 84 per cent, up from 41.5 per cent in 2018. The review process also led to the dismissal of charges against about 1,200 detainees, who were released and resettled in their communities.
The document also revealed plans to introduce DNA profiling into a proposed National Database on Terrorism to strengthen investigations, intelligence-sharing and prosecutions. The database, to be housed in the Office of the National Security Adviser, will store biometric data and intelligence on known and suspected terrorists.
Meanwhile, the Theatre Commander of Operation Fansan Yamma, Major General Warrah Idris, said intensified military operations have left notorious bandit leader Bello Turji and other armed group leaders in panic. He said sustained ground operations, intelligence gathering and surveillance are closing in on them, dismissing claims that Turji controls any territory.
In a related development, the Federal High Court in Abuja issued a bench warrant for suspects linked to Turji after they failed to appear for trial. The suspects are facing terrorism-related charges, while Turji remains at large.
Separately, the 2026 Appropriation Bill shows that security agencies will spend about ₦204.51bn on operations next year, with ₦100bn allocated to military operations, ₦50bn to the police, ₦30bn to the DSS, ₦15bn to the NSCDC and ₦9.51bn to the Office of the National Security Adviser.
