Nine suspects accused of involvement in the deadly Yelwata attack in Benue State have pleaded not guilty to a 57-count amended charge of terrorism before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The suspects were arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdul-Malik following the withdrawal of charges against the sixth defendant, Yakubu Mamman, by the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN).
According to the Office of the AGF, the suspects are “strongly linked” to the killings in Yelwata and were being arraigned after “painstaking investigation and collaboration by government agencies.”
The case was presented by Fagbemi and the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN).
Representing the defense were prominent lawyers: Ibrahim Angulu (SAN) for the 1st defendant, Christiana Sylvester for the 8th defendant, Aminu Abubakar Bagudu for the 9th defendant, A.I. Kaura for the 2nd defendant, and Adamu Abdullahi for the 3rd, 4th, 5th, 7th, and 10th defendants.
Fagbemi informed the court that the prosecution had filed a 57-count amended charge against 10 defendants, dated January 19, 2026.
He also stated that the earlier eight-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/471/2025, filed on September 9, 2025, was being withdrawn.
The defense did not object to this, and Justice Abdul-Malik proceeded to strike out the sixth defendant’s name and withdraw the previous charge.
The remaining defendants are: Ardo Lawal Mohammed, Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Muhammed Musa, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Saleh Mohammed, and Bako Jibrin.
In the first count, the defendants were accused of knowingly participating in meetings between May and June 2025 in Nasarawa State to plan the attack on the Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. The charge states:
“That you… sometime between May and June 2025, in Nasarawa State, within the jurisdiction of this Honourable Court, knowingly and directly participated in meetings in connection with the commission of an act of terrorism, to wit: to plan an attack on Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, the attack which was subsequently carried out on the 13th day of June, 2025 and resulted in the burning of houses, grievous bodily harm and the death of approximately 150 persons. You thereby committed an offence contrary to Section 12(a) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act (2022) and punishable under the same section.”
The defendants pleaded not guilty to all 57 counts.
Fagbemi requested that the court set an accelerated hearing and remand the defendants in a correctional facility pending trial. An oral bail application was made by Ibrahim Angulu, but Justice Abdul-Malik directed the defense to file a formal application in response to the amended motion by the prosecution. The defense subsequently requested a short date to move the bail application.
The prosecution indicated it would call eight witnesses during the trial. The matter was adjourned to February 26 and 27, 2026, for the commencement of the trial. Justice Abdul-Malik ordered that the defendants be remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre until the trial begins.
