Abuja: Nigeria has sentenced 44 members of Boko Haram to prison terms of up to 30 years for their involvement in financing terrorist activities, as announced by a spokesman from the country's counterterrorism agency. These individuals were part of a group of 54 suspects who were tried in four specialized civilian courts at a military base in Kainji, located in central Niger state, as stated by Abu Michael, the spokesman for Nigeria's counterterrorism center.

According to Nam News Network, the trials resumed on Wednesday, seven years after Nigeria halted the prosecution of over 1,000 individuals suspected of having connections with Boko Haram. This jihadist group has been leading an insurgency since 2009, aiming to establish a caliphate. Nigeria's efforts to curb money laundering and terrorism financing have come under international scrutiny, placing the country on a grey list alongside South Sudan, South Africa, Monaco, and Croatia.

The ongoing conflict in northeastern Nigeria has resulted in over 40,000 deaths and displaced approximately two million people, based on United Nations data. The violence has also spread to neighboring countries, including Cameroon, Chad, and Niger.

In October 2017, Nigeria initiated mass trials of Boko Haram members, eight years after the insurgency began. This initial phase of trials lasted for five months and led to the conviction of 200 jihadist fighters, with sentences ranging from the death penalty to life imprisonment and prison terms of 20 to 70 years, according to Michael. The convictions were based on crimes such as attacks on civilians, destruction of religious sites, and the abduction and killing of women and children.