FG to resume trial of Boko Haram suspects – Jedy-Agba

Muhammadu Buhari is preparing to prosecute Boko Haram suspects " >The government of President Muhammadu Buhari is preparing to prosecute Boko Haram suspects.

INSIDE NIGERIA previously learned that the suspects were being held at a military facility in Kainji Niger state until March 2023 " >INSIDE NIGERIA previously learned that the suspects were being held at a military facility in Kainji, Niger state, until March 2023.

Nigeria s Attorney General and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice made the announcement over the weekend " >Beatrice Jedy-Agba, Nigeria’s Attorney General and Permanent Secretary of the Federal Ministry of Justice, made the announcement over the weekend.

According to Jedy-Agba, extensive plans and preparations have been made for the resumption of legal proceedings against Boko Haram suspects.

According to Jedy-Agba, the Buhari administration is committed to delivering justice, appeasing the feelings of victims/survivors, and decongesting detention facilities firmly and irreversibly.

It stated that the delay in the trials of the defendants could be attributed to mitigating factors such as diligent investigation and, more importantly, the need to put in place the adequate infrastructure and measures necessary for fair and proper trials in order to comply with global minimum standards.

According to her;

The government is taking steps to reconfigure military detention facilities to be adaptable and conducive to the resumption of trials, and maintains that there is an overriding official commitment to ensure that the atmosphere and ambience of the trial venue is adjusted to world best practices.

We will start prosecution at the end of the first quarter of 2023. We are in the process of renovating and actually rebuilding facilities such as courtrooms and residential areas.

It is important to ensure that improved measures are implemented. We are using military facilities and therefore they were not built as proper courts. The resort to the use of military installations is to ensure that the trials take place in a safe and secure environment. There are risks associated with moving such a large number of defendants at the same time for trial, so this is a critical issue that is of the utmost concern.

CDS and other military authorities to ensure that by the end of the first quarter of 2023 we will definitely begin trials " >We have obtained all the relevant approvals to proceed with the projects and we are working very closely with the Office of the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) and other military authorities to ensure that by the end of the first quarter of 2023, we will definitely begin trials.

Federal Government prosecutors to commit to best practices in particular the observance of the rights of accused persons Jedy Agba stated that the Federal Ministry of Justice is so concerned about the pain and plight of victims of terrorism as sensitive to the rights of the defendants in upcoming trials " >Speaking about the willingness of Federal Government prosecutors to commit to best practices, in particular the observance of the rights of accused persons, Jedy-Agba stated that the Federal Ministry of Justice is so concerned about the pain and plight of victims of terrorism as sensitive to the rights of the defendants in upcoming trials.

She said;

The idea is to ensure that while we respect the rights of the accused, we must also take into account the sensitivity of Nigerians who have been victims of terrorism, as well as the general security of Nigerians as a whole.

NHRC We are working with the Legal Aid Council LAC and other stakeholders to ensure that accused persons have access to justice " >Therefore, we will ensure, to the extent possible, that the minimum human rights requirements are met. We will open the trial site for comment from selected civil society organizations (CSOs), as well as human rights institutions, such as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC). We are working with the Legal Aid Council (LAC) and other stakeholders to ensure that accused persons have access to justice.

Obviously we are not going to open the place, for security reasons. I’m sure you are aware that recently, like a few weeks ago, there was an attempt to attack the facility. So obviously it’s not going to be as open as you’d like, because we want to make sure that the safety of our judges, witnesses and interpreters is protected.

He said the number of defendants in the upcoming trial was huge and appreciable and he was not in a position to give the specific number as arrests continued to be made on a daily basis in the fight against terrorism.

He noted: “I don’t want to be specific about that because the number changes every time as security agencies keep making arrests. I can’t say for sure how many at this time. But it’s a pretty hefty number.”

Credit: https://www.withinnigeria.com/news/2023/01/08/terrorism-fg-to-resume-trial-of-boko-haram-suspects-jedy-agba/