Sources at the ministry of justice confirm to BBC that four judges have started their trials at the military detention facility in Kainji town, north-central Niger state, where more than 1,600 suspects are being kept.
Up to 1,670 people will be tried in the coming weeks with a further 5,000 people after that. Many of the suspects have been detained for years.
This is the biggest series of terrorism-related trials in Nigerian history so far. The trials are to be conducted in secret at detention facilities across the country although they are not military tribunals, Human rights activists and some families of the suspects have expressed fears that this will undermine transparency.
The trials are likely to last for months, or even years, because of the huge number of suspects who will be tried individually, according to Justice Minister Abubakar Malami.
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