Nigeria has secured 386 convictions in a new phase of mass trials targeting suspected Islamist militants, as authorities intensify efforts to curb a prolonged insurgency in the country’s northeast.

The convictions were handed down this week by the Federal High Court in Abuja after prosecutors presented over 500 cases, Nigeria’s Attorney General, Lateef Fagbemi, confirmed. According to Reuters, a total of 508 cases were brought before the court, resulting in 386 convictions, eight discharges, two acquittals, and 112 cases postponed to a later stage.

Sentences for those convicted range from five years to life imprisonment. Authorities also ordered that convicts undergo rehabilitation and deradicalisation programmes aimed at easing their reintegration into society after serving their terms, Reuters reported.

The trials form part of a broader judicial process that began in 2017, involving more than 2,000 suspects linked to militant groups such as Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa Province. Nigeria has been battling insurgency since 2009, when Boko Haram launched its campaign in the northeast. The conflict has claimed tens of thousands of lives and displaced more than two million people, according to humanitarian organisations.

The group drew global attention in 2014 after abducting schoolgirls from Chibok in Borno State, an incident that underscored the scale of the crisis. Court officials said the latest proceedings were monitored by international observers, including the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime and Amnesty International, to ensure transparency and fairness, as reported by Reuters.

Authorities indicated that the next phase of the trials is expected to begin before the end of the current quarter, as Nigeria continues its push to deliver justice and stabilise conflict-affected regions.