The Federal Government has arraigned six leaders of a Boko Haram splinter group, Jama’atu Ansaru, before the Federal High Court in Abuja.

The terrorists were arraigned alongside a woman said to be the wife of the top commander of the group on 11 count charges of alleged kidnap and murder of 11 foreign nationals between 2011 and 2013.

The defendants were said to have been leaders of the Boko Haram group before establishing their own faction.

They, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read out to them in court.

According to the suit filed by the office of the Attorney General of the Federation, the defendants allegedly “murdered seven internationally protected persons – Carlos Bou Azziz, Brendan Vaughan, Silvano Trevisan, Konstantinos Karras, Ghaida Yaser Sa’ad , Julio Ibrahim El-Khouli and Imad El-Andari, and buried the bodies in a shallow grave in February 2013 at Ikirima Boko Haram camp in Sambisa forest”.

The suspects, who were arraigned before Justice John Tsoho, are Mohammed Usman, described as the leader of the group; Mohammed Bashir Saleh, Umar Bello and Mohammed Salisu.

Others include Yakubu Nuhu, Usman Abubakar and a lady, Halima Haliru.