The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Prince Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, said Nigeria has secured 860 terrorism-related convictions and recorded 891 acquittals between 2017 and 2025, underscoring the government’s commitment to due process in the prosecution of extremist-related offences.
Fagbemi disclosed this on Tuesday while speaking with judiciary correspondents after a closed-door meeting with a visiting United States congressional delegation to his office in Abuja.
The meeting, he said, was a follow-up to an earlier engagement held in Washington about a month ago.
According to the AGF, the interaction was aimed at giving the U.S. delegation firsthand insight into Nigeria’s security situation and the government’s efforts to address terrorism and violent extremism.
Fagbemi emphasised that while Nigeria faces serious security challenges, they are not religious in nature, but rather issues of criminality that the government is tackling through security operations and legal processes.
“Even though we have challenges in Nigeria, it is not religious; it is a security challenge,” Fagbemi said and added that the government is doing its utmost to ensure that these challenges are addressed.
He explained that the delegation was briefed on progress made in terrorism prosecutions and assured that the Ministry of Justice strictly follows legal procedures.
“What this speaks to, particularly the issue of discharges, is that we don’t just arrest people and clamp them into prison. They are profiled. Those who have nothing to do with the incidents are let off the hook, and those we believe we have cases against are taken to court. It is for the courts to decide”, he said.
Fagbemi, who confirmed that terrorism trials are ongoing, stressed that the country’s security situation, while challenging, is “not as grim as portrayed,” assuring that the government remains committed to restoring peace and stability.
The U.S. congressional delegation, which has been meeting with multiple Nigerian institutions, also visited the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Chief of Defence Staff, civil society groups, and religious organisations as part of its fact-finding mission.
He said the delegation is expected to make his own public remarks before departing Nigeria.
