Nigeria’s mass trials of Boko Haram suspects in Abuja are doing very little to bring real justice to victims of the conflict, according to a damning new report from Human Rights Watch (HRW). Instead of going after high-ranking commanders responsible for atrocities across the Lake Chad basin, the state is running fast-tracked court sessions that mostly target low-level villagers and minor suspects, all while cutting corners on fair trial rights.
In recent hearings at the Federal High Court, 10 Judges sitting simultaneously processed more than 1 100 defendants. Hundreds were convicted and handed sentences ranging from five years to life in prison. But observers on the ground noted a troubling pattern: prosecutors presented almost no witness testimony, forensic proof, or circumstantial evidence. Instead, convictions relied almost entirely on forced confessions and quick guilty pleas.
Many of those on trial were ordinary citizens living in conflict zones who provided food or supplies to insurgents simply to stay alive. Under broad counter-terrorism laws, failing to report Boko Haram activity or giving in to their demands under threat of death is treated as providing material support to terrorists.
To make matters worse, scores of the accused had been languishing in military detention facilities without ever seeing a Judge since as far back as 2016. HRW is now calling on the Nigerian government to fix these flawed proceedings, respect due process, and focus its resources on holding actual insurgent leaders accountable.
–ChannelAfrica/HRW–
