ABUJA, Nigeria, Dec. 5 (UPI) -- "Immediate trial" has been ordered for 500 of 1,400 Nigerian terror suspects detained for months without prosecution, military authorities say.
The announcement was the first time the military acknowledged the number of people held for alleged terrorism activities by the Boko Haram militant group, the Nigerian newspaper Daily Trust reported Thursday.
The cases of another 614 detainees have recommended for review, while 167 suspects have been recommended to be freed.
The recommendations were made by a Joint Investigative Team set up by defense officials in July to "screen and categorize" the detainees.
"Those recommended for immediate trial include high profile suspects some of whom were training other terrorists in weapons handling as well as those who confessed to being trained in Mali and other countries for the purpose of perpetrating terror in Nigeria," defense spokesman Brig. Gen. Chris Olukolade said in the statement.
The Nigerian military has been criticized by human rights groups for holding detainees without trial, but authorities have denied any wrongdoing.
The detainees are being held at camps in Yobe, Borno and Adamawa states in northeastern Nigeria, a region that has been under a state of emergency since May.
Some of the detainees may be tried for other offenses including armed robbery, murder and drug-related charges, Olukolade said.
In May, women and children detained for alleged links to the militant group were ordered released by President Goodluck Jonathan.
