Nigeria's military will free more than 300 people suspected of being part of Boko Haram militant group after a court ruled there was no evidence they committed any crimes, a defence spokesperson said on Thursday.
Boko Haram launched an insurgency in 2009 seeking to overthrow the government.
The insurgency has killed tens of thousands and forced more than two million people from their homes, spawning one of the world's worst humanitarian crises.
Want of evidence
The 313 people, who had been suspected of being members of Boko Haram, will be released after a ruling by a court in northeastern Borno state, the heartland of the insurgency, according to defence spokesperson Major General Edward Buba.
"The court ordered their release for want of evidence after the conclusion of investigations and other ancillary matters," Buba said during a media briefing in the capital Abuja.
The cases were prosecuted by the Department of Prosecution, part of the Federal Ministry of Justice, and the people will be handed over to the Borno State Government for further act ion, he added.
Buba would not say where the suspects were being held or how long they had been in custody.
Rehabilitation programme
Nigeria has been running an amnesty programme for 'repentant' militants who willingly surrender.
The former fighters usually go through a rehabilitation before being reintegrated into society.
Boko Haram grabbed headlines worldwide with its 2014 mass kidnapping of more than 270 schoolgirls from the town of Chibok.
Many of the abductees have been released following a global campaign for their return dubbed #BringBackOurGirls.
Next month is the tenth anniversary of the kidnapping and dozens of the girls have not been found yet.
➤ Click here to follow our WhatsApp channel for more stories.
