The Federal High Court in Borno has ordered the release of 313 suspected terrorists arrested by the military due to lack of evidence to prosecute them.
This decision came to light alongside the Defence Headquarters’ announcement on Thursday, that troops had neutralized 121 terrorists, apprehended 253, and rescued 244 kidnapped hostages in various operations nationwide within one week.
Maj. Gen. Buba Edward, the Director of Defence Media Operations, stated during a briefing in Abuja that the military would comply with the court order and hand over the suspected terrorists to the Borno State Government for further action.
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According to Edward, the suspects’ release followed a court order from the Federal High Court in Maiduguri after the conclusion of investigations and other related matters.
These cases were prosecuted by the Department of Prosecution, Federal Ministry of Justice.
It’s worth noting that this isn’t the first instance where suspected terrorists have been released due to insufficient evidence.
Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, previously reported that out of 1,323 suspects prosecuted for terrorism, only 366 were convicted, while 896 were discharged due to lack of evidence.
Regarding military operations, Edward outlined significant achievements, particularly in the North-East, North Central, and North-West regions.
Notably, troops in the North-East neutralized 52 terrorists, arrested 137, and rescued 78 kidnapped hostages.
Similar successes were reported in the North Central and North-West, where operations led to the neutralization of 47 and 62 terrorists, respectively, along with significant recoveries of arms and ammunition.
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