Nigerian military wants 500 tried for terrorism
Iran Press TV
Wed Dec 4, 2013 11:57PM GMT
The Nigerian military says 500 people who have been detained during security operations against Boko Haram militants in three northeastern states must be tried on terrorism charges.
It said in a statement issued on Wednesday that the suspects were arrested during a crackdown on the Boko Haram in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.
'Among those recommended for trial are a medical doctor, paramilitary or service personnel who were fighting on the side of the terrorists and other individuals who offered direct logistics support to the terrorists,' Defense Headquarters spokesman Chris Olukolade said.
They also included 'high profile suspects some of whom were training other terrorists in weapon handling as well as those who confessed to being trained in Mali and other countries,' he added.
Violence has intensified in northeastern Nigeria since President Goodluck Jonathan ordered his security forces in May to crush Boko Haram's four-and-a-half-year rebellion.
The Nigerian forces have been raiding militant camps and launching air and ground attacks on suspected hideouts of the militants over the past several months.
The military's anti-insurgency division has been taking part in the operations.
Boko Haram says its aim is to topple the Nigerian government, which it accuses of being pro-Western.
The group has claimed responsibility for a number of deadly gun and bomb attacks in various parts of Nigeria since 2009.
Over the past four-and-a-half years, violence in the north of Africa's most populous country has claimed the lives of at least 3,600 people, including killings by security forces.
In May 2013, the Nigerian government imposed a state of emergency in three states in the northeast, saying Boko Haram had become a security threat in those states.
GJH/AS/MHB
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