Nigerian government convicts around 400 on terrorism charges

 

A federal high court in Abuja, Nigeria, has convicted 386 individuals on terrorism charges in one of the largest mass convictions in recent times. Those convicted were linked to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) or to Boko Haram, a deadly terrorist group founded in northern Nigeria. The convictions come as the Nigerian government faces significant pressure from the United States to curb terrorism within its borders and to more effectively protect vulnerable Christian communities caught up in the violence perpetrated by these Islamist terrorist organizations. Reports indicate that those convicted received sentences ranging from five years to life in prison. Authorities originally charged 508 individuals. Two were acquitted, eight were discharged, and 112 cases were adjourned, according to officials cited by the BBC. While the Nigerian government denies that religious-based violence occurs in the country, many analysts and civil society organizations have long reported targeted attacks on Christian places of worship, communities, and religious leaders in the middle and northern regions, where ISWAP and Boko Haram carry out the majority of their attacks. Many innocent Muslims have also lost their lives or property to these groups. Still, the radical religious extremism driving ISWAP and Boko Haram has resulted in particularly severe violence against Christians. In 2025, the United States added Nigeria back to its Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) list, which designates countries with particularly egregious patterns of severe religious freedom violations. A History of Violence Nigeria has faced significant internal violence for years, largely at the hands of terrorist groups and militant Fulani herdsmen. Tens of thousands have been killed or abducted by these groups, and hundreds of thousands have been internally displaced. The most prominent of these militant groups is Boko Haram, which was founded as an Islamic school in 2002. From there, the group quickly developed an agenda of radical Islamism and, in 2009, launched a campaign of violence that continues to this day.   While the group has splintered and changed leadership several times since its founding — today calling itself Jama’tu Ahlis Sunna Lidda’awati wal-Jihad (JAS) — it has maintained its violent tendencies and a “priority scale” of targets, with Christians at the top, followed by the government and Muslims who have not joined the group. In addition to organized terrorist groups like Boko Haram, many communities have become radicalized over time and collectively contribute to the country’s overall death toll. Often triggered by issues such as conflicts over limited grazing land or water resources, these disputes can quickly take on a religious dimension, leading to violence against religious leaders, houses of worship, and entire communities known for their religious affiliation. According to one analyst of local militancy in Nigeria, ISWAP is funding Fulani militants in their attacks on Christian farmers — an ongoing conflict that ISWAP views as “another opportunity to target Christians, whom they see as a key obstacle to establishing an Islamic State in West Africa.” This involvement further underscores the religious undertones of even local conflicts and highlights the need to address religious persecution at every level of violence in Nigeria. Meanwhile, the government — under Christian president Goodluck Jonathan, Muslim president Muhammadu Buhari, and now Bola Tinubu — has long failed to provide an effective response to the violence or adequate protection for vulnerable communities regularly targeted for their religion, such as those in southern Kaduna state, where certain Christian communities have faced repeated attacks by Muslim extremists. If Tinubu is serious about quelling the violence in Nigeria, one factor he must address is religion. Though not the only factor at play — lack of economic opportunity is another — it is a major one that he cannot afford to ignore. Whether through programs to counter religious extremism or targeted efforts to provide security for vulnerable Christian communities in violence-torn areas, Tinubu can make significant strides toward peace only if he is willing to address the religious tensions at play in his country. To read more news stories, visit the ICC Newsroom. For interviews, please email press@persecution.org. Since 1995, ICC has served the global persecuted church through a three-pronged approach of assistance, advocacy, and awareness. ICC exists to bandage the wounds of persecuted Christians and to build the church in the toughest parts of the world.