Boko Haram extremists convicted in mass trial

A Nigerian court has convicted 45 Boko Haram members in the largest mass trial involving the Islamist extremist group. A report on The Guardian site notes that they were sentenced to between three and 31 years in prison for crimes against the state. Another 468 suspects were released but the court ordered that they undergo de-radicalisation programmes. The closed-door proceedings began a week ago at a military barracks in northern Nigeria. However, rights groups have expressed concern over the fairness of the trials which involve 1 669 suspects. Nigeria has arrested thousands of suspected Boko Haram members in recent years, and military detention facilities are overcrowded. Human rights groups say most of those detained, including women and children, have been picked up at random and without reasonable suspicion.