Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has ordered that the nine suspects arrested over the killings in Yelwata, Benue State, be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre pending trial.
The Federal Government arraigned the suspects on Monday, with the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), leading the prosecution for the arraignment.
The suspects were arraigned on a 57-count charge and pleaded not guilty when the counts were read to them through an interpreter. The AGF requested an accelerated trial, and the defendants were remanded at the correctional center pending the commencement of the trial.
Counsel for the first, eighth, and ninth defendants made an oral application for bail. The AGF stated that eight witnesses were ready to testify at the trial. However, Justice Abdulmalik ordered that they be remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre pending trial. The case was adjourned to February 26 and 27 for trial.
Earlier, the office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice assured Nigerians that justice would be served in this matter, sending a strong signal to enemies of the country acting under any disguise.
“The administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to the protection of the lives and properties of all as enshrined in the constitution,” the statement by Kamarudeen Ogundele, the SA to the AGF and Minister of Justice, read. He noted that this assurance came after a “painstaking investigation and collaboration by government agencies.”
Yelwata Attack
In June 2025, gunmen attacked the Yelwata community in the Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, killing scores and displacing hundreds. The incident sparked major protests and widespread condemnation, leading security agencies to announce that they had arrested individuals in connection with the attacks.
A survivor of the Yelwata attack, Msurshima Apeh, recounted her harrowing experience to the United States Congress, detailing how she witnessed the killing of her five children during the onslaught. “In the course of this action, I saw a tree when I lifted my eyes. I raised my hands on the tree and climbed up, where I was able to hide myself. My five children that I left below were crying, and in my presence, they were being slaughtered by the terrorists,” she told the House Subcommittee on Africa, which examined President Donald Trump’s decision to return Nigeria to the Country of Particular Concern (CPC) list in November 2026.
Tinubu had visited the state in the wake of the incident and urged security operatives to pursue the masterminds. “Police, I hope your men are on alert to listen to information. How come no arrest has been made? I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals,” Tinubu remarked at the Benue Government House in Makurdi during a stakeholders meeting.
The attack contributed to a series of violent incidents recorded in the state, including the killing of four people in the Otobi community, among them Igbabe Ochi, a House of Assembly candidate for the Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) during the 2019 general election.
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