The Nigerian government commenced the mass trial of suspected terrorists on Tuesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja, marking a significant judicial proceeding amid heightened security across the courthouse. The trials, involving at least 20 suspects including Hamat Modu, Isah Ali, Awal Bello, Shehu Bukar, Alhaji Kulle, Mohammed Abacha Hassan, Aminami Mallum, Tasiu Yakubu, and Abdullahi Ali, are being heard in 13 courtrooms at the Abuja headquarters. Despite the official vacation period for Federal High Court judges, which runs from 7 to 13 April, judges including Binta Nyako, Emeka Nwite, Musa Liman, and Akpan Ekerete are presiding over the cases. The Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is leading the prosecution team before Justice Binta Nyako. On the defence side, Aliyu Abubakar, Director General of the Legal Aid Council, is heading the legal team representing the accused. Heavy security measures were deployed around the Central Business District, with armed personnel blocking all access roads to the court and a police helicopter monitoring the area. The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) confirmed that similar mass trials of terrorism suspects had previously taken place in Kainji, Niger State. Regular court sittings across all divisions are scheduled to resume on Tuesday, 14 April.
Holding terrorism trials during a court vacation signals an urgent shift in judicial prioritisation, suggesting that national security concerns now override standard procedural timelines. The involvement of high-ranking legal officials like Rotimi Oyedepo and Aliyu Abubakar on opposing sides underscores the gravity of these proceedings. This trial's scale and timing reflect an intensified state effort to process terrorism cases swiftly, even outside normal judicial calendars.
