Nearly 400 sentenced in Nigeria for links to militant Islamists

Judges handed down sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment following mass trials. Nigeria insurgency: Nearly 400 sentenced for links to Boko Haram or Islamic State West Africa Province Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Copyright current_year BBC. All rights reserved. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read about our approach to external linking. Nigeria has been hit by an Islamist insurgency in the north-east since 2009 A car on fire after bombing in Nigeria's north eastern Gombe state in 2015 Nearly 400 sentenced in Nigeria for links to militant Islamists Nearly 400 people have been sentenced in Nigeria for links with militant Islamic groups following mass trials. The convicts were given sentences ranging from five years to life imprisonment after linked to Boko Haram or a rival splinter group, the Islamic State West Africa Province (Iswap). The trials came at a time when the government is under intense pressure to curb rising insecurity in Africa's most-populous state. Security forces are battling multiple armed groups, from militant Islamists to separatists, and kidnapping-for-ransom gangs. Boko Haram launched an insurgency in the north-east in 2009, killing tens of thousands of people and displacing more than two million, aid groups say. On Wednesday, the US urged its citizens to reconsider travelling to the country because of the deteriorating security situation. A bandit in Zamfara state dressed in dark blue and holding a gun over his shoulder walks away from the camera in a forested area. The kidnap gangs, jihadists and separatists wreaking havoc in Nigeria Christians faithfuls hold signs as they march on the streets of Abuja during a prayer and penance for peace and security in Nigeria in Abuja on March 1, 2020 - they are holding a sign that says 'thou shall not kill' Are Christians being persecuted in Nigeria as Trump claims? More than 500 suspects were put on trial in the federal high court in the capital, Abuja, on charges of either taking part in attacks or supporting the militants through funding, supplying arms, or giving logistical support. On Friday, judges convicted 386 of them, while two were acquitted, eight were discharged, and the cases of 112 suspects were adjourned, officials said. Five of the accused had pleaded guilty at the start of the trials to charges that included selling livestock, supplying food and information to the militant groups. The US carried out airstrikes in northern Sokoto state on Christmas Day to target a militant Islamist group known as Lakurawa after President Donald Trump alleged that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria. carried out airstrikes in northern Sokoto state on Christmas Day to target a militant Islamist group known as Lakurawa after President Donald Trump alleged that Christians were being persecuted in Nigeria. The government denied Trump's claim, saying that people of all faiths and no faith were victims of violence. Aliyu Abdullahi Isa, a Fulani herder wearing a white knitted hat. Behind him are white cattle grazing 'Peace is a gradual thing': How land, cattle and identity fuel a deadly Nigerian conflict Two women, dressed as yellow flowers, smile at the camera, wearing sunglasses and petals Carnival fever hits Lagos as locals celebrate Afro-Brazilian heritage Lami Ezekiel in front of the home built for her by the government in the late 80s. She appears to be blind in one eye and is wearing a black and red floral dress, She is sitting on the ground next to a saucepan on a wood fire. 'We want a voice in our land' - the people evicted to build Nigeria's capital A woman looking at her mobile phone and the graphic BBC News Africa Go to BBCAfrica.com for more news from the African continent. for more news from the African continent. Follow us on Twitter @BBCAfrica, on Facebook at BBC Africa or on Instagram at bbcafrica The state department has also authorised non-emergency embassy staff to leave on security grounds. Very few people are ever prosecuted following terror attacks with suspects often held without trial. The centuries-old Fanti Carnival returned to Nigeria on Monday with a burst of colour and spectacle. Ismail Omar Guelleh, 78, has extended his already 27-year rule in a poll boycotted by the main opposition candidates. The once close-knit community of Ngogo chimpanzees have been at loggerheads for the last eight years. The 43-year-old denies the charge and has been released on bail and had to surrender his passport. Trump has given priority to Afrikaners, a white minority group he says is being persecuted. South Africa has objected to his characterisation. Cross-border raids from militant Islamists are increasingly threatening the West African state's stability.