The Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), said Nigeria has secured 860 terrorism-related convictions between 2017 and 2025.
Fagbemi, who spoke in Abuja on Tuesday after a closed-door meeting with senior United States officials, including the US Assistant Secretary of State for Democracy, Human Rights and Labour, Riley M. Barnes, and the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Richard Mills Jr., also disclosed that 891 terrorism suspects were acquitted within the same period.
According to him, the figures demonstrate that the government is strictly following due process in the prosecution of suspects linked to extremist activities.
He explained that the Abuja meeting was a follow-up to earlier engagements held in Washington, focused on Nigeria’s counterterrorism efforts and the judicial processes guiding ongoing trials.
Fagbemi stressed that the security challenges confronting the country were not religious in nature, adding that the government was intensifying efforts to address them.
He said the Federal Ministry of Justice continues to oversee terrorism prosecutions transparently, noting that only individuals with credible evidence against them are charged to court, while others are released after profiling.
“As of today, from 2017 to 2025, we have secured 860 convictions and 891 acquittals,” he said, adding that the sizable number of discharges reflects Nigeria’s commitment to the rule of law.
The AGF noted that US officials have been meeting with multiple Nigerian agencies, including the Office of the National Security Adviser and the Office of the Chief of Defence Staff, as well as civil society and religious organisations, as part of their broader assessment.
Fagbemi maintained that reports amplifying Nigeria’s security situation are often exaggerated, insisting that the government is addressing the challenges lawfully and responsibly.
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