The first of more than 1,600 suspected Boko Haram militants are due to appear in a series of trials scheduled to start later today in Borno state.

Most of the defendants were arrested in the last few years as the Nigerian government stepped up its campaign against the Islamist militant group.

There are at least 7,000 suspects being held in different locations in the north-east of the country who are expected to face trial in the coming weeks.

A small number of people have been tried and convicted for links to the insurgency.

BBC