The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday heard harrowing details of a terror attack in Benue State in which more than 150 people were killed and numerous homes destroyed in the Yelwata community.
The attack, carried out on June 13, 2025, involved over 100 assailants armed with AK‑47 rifles. Nine suspects Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Musa Mohammed, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Saleh Mohammed, and Bako Jibrin are facing a 57-count terrorism charge related to the attack.
At Thursday’s proceedings, the prosecution presented its first witness, Moses Paul, a Chief Superintendent of Police and member of the Intelligence Response Unit of the Nigeria Police Force. He testified that the suspects were allegedly funded and directed by disgruntled Fulani chiefs in Nasarawa State, who held planning meetings between May and June 2025 to execute revenge attacks on Benue communities.
The witness recounted that investigations following the attack led to the arrest of the suspects across Kadarko, Ageregu, and Lafia in Nasarawa State. During interrogation, the first defendant, Abdullahi, admitted attending meetings where funds were contributed to execute the attack he claimed to have provided ₦300,000, while another participant gave ₦200,000.
The testimony revealed that while the attackers initially targeted another community, Dawudu, they diverted to Yelwata after encountering resistance. PW-1 confirmed that over 200 people were affected, including internally displaced residents seeking refuge in Yelwata.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik adjourned further hearings to Friday. The nine defendants, remanded in Kuje Prison on February 2, previously pleaded not guilty to the terrorism charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The case continues to draw attention to escalating communal violence in central Nigeria and highlights ongoing efforts by federal authorities to prosecute perpetrators of large-scale terror attacks.
ELIJAH ADEYEMI
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