About 5,000 individuals suspected of terrorism-related offences are currently being held in pre-trial detention across Nigeria, creating a significant backlog of cases, according to the 2025–2030 Strategic Plan of the National Counter-Terrorism Centre (NCTC).
The document, obtained on Wednesday, said the NCTC’s legal team is working with the Defence Headquarters and the Federal Ministry of Justice to review case files, with a view to accelerating prosecutions or dismissing charges lacking sufficient evidence. It noted that coordinated hearings are being conducted by the Federal High Court in Abuja and at the Wawa Military Cantonment in Niger State.
In 2024, the NCTC said its support helped secure 329 convictions from 393 terrorism-related prosecutions, raising Nigeria’s conviction rate to 84 per cent from 41.5 per cent in 2018. The review process also led to the dismissal of charges against about 1,200 detainees, who were subsequently released and resettled.
The strategic plan also outlines plans to establish a National Database on Terrorism, incorporating biometric data and DNA profiling, to strengthen investigations, prosecutions and intelligence-sharing. The database will be housed within the Office of the National Security Adviser and serve as a central repository for information on known and suspected terrorists.