News Obiaks News

In Nigeria, over 1,000 suspected Boko Haram militants are to appear before judges today, as the largest public mass trial in the country's history resumes.

The trial is being held in public after Amnesty International and other human rights groups had criticized the first phase of the trial for being held in secret. In that phase, more than 400 Boko Haram suspect were discharged for lack of evidence while 45 were sentenced to between 3 to 31 years in prison.

Thousands more are still detained in facilities across the country and will be tried on later dates. 

According to the Justice Ministry, the trials were paused four months ago so the authorities could finish investigations on the suspects.

Since Boko Haram started its insurgency in 2009, not less than 20,000 people have been killed while millions are displaced in Nigeria and other countries in the Lake Chad region.