More than 200 people have been convicted in Nigeria on charges related to their involvement with militant Islamist group Boko Haram, the justice ministry said<\/p>\n
on Monday.<\/p>\n
The convictions of 205 people in mass trials mark the conclusion of the second stage of the country\u2019s biggest legal challenge to Boko Haram, which began an<\/p>\n
insurgency in 2009 aimed at creating an Islamic state in northeastern Nigeria.<\/p>\n
\u201cMost of them were convicted for professing to belong to the terrorist group, (or) concealing information about the group which they knew or believe to be of<\/p>\n
material assistance that could lead to the arrest, prosecution or conviction of Boko Haram members,\u201d the justice ministry said in a statement.<\/p>\n
Jail terms ranged from three to 60 years, said the ministry.<\/p>\n
It also said a total of 526 people allegedly affiliated with Boko Haram had been released for rehabilitation during the second stage, and said 73 cases had been<\/p>\n
adjourned.More than 20,000 people have been killed and two million forced to flee their homes since the insurgency began.<\/p>\n
Humanitarian groups have criticised the Nigerian authorities\u2019 handling of some of those detained for infringing on the suspects\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n
Some whose cases were heard last week at a detention centre in central Nigeria had been held without trial since 2010, according to the justice ministry, which<\/p>\n
added that some had been released for lack of evidence against them.<\/p>\n
In October, the ministry said 45 people suspected of Boko Haram links had been convicted and jailed. A further 468 suspects were discharged and 28<\/p>\n
suspects were remanded for trial in Abuja or Minna.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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