A prosecution witness on Thursday told the Federal High Court in Abuja that some disgruntled Fulani chiefs allegedly funded over 200 armed men, armed with AK-47 rifles, to carry out the June 13, 2025 attack on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area, Benue State.
The assault reportedly left more than 200 people dead and caused destruction of properties worth millions of naira. Moses Paul, team leader of the Nigeria Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team, gave the testimony in the trial of nine suspects facing charges related to the attack.
The suspects, who pleaded not guilty to 57 amended terrorism-related charges on Monday, February 3, 2026, are accused of participating in meetings between May and June 2025 in Nasarawa State to plan the attack. The prosecution claims the assault resulted in burning of houses, grievous bodily harm, and the deaths of about 150 people, contrary to Section 12(a) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
The first to fifth and seventh to tenth defendants were remanded at the Kuje Correctional Facility pending trial.
Under the direction of the Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, Paul testified that the attackers were allegedly commissioned and financed by Fulani chiefs who pooled resources to execute the assault. He said he was in Apa, Benue State, when he received a distress call and was deployed to investigate.
“Upon arriving in Yelwata, our team commenced investigations which led to the arrest of the defendants in Kadarko, Ageregu, and parts of Nasarawa State,” Paul said. He added that the first suspect arrested was Haruna Abdullahi in Ageregu, Nasarawa, who allegedly confessed to attending meetings organised by the Fulani chiefs to discuss grievances including alleged killings of their cattle and kinsmen.
The witness explained that the initial target was Daudu community, but the attackers diverted to Yelwata after facing resistance.
Earlier, the court declined an application by the first defendant’s counsel, Ibrahim Angulu, to challenge jurisdiction and seek bail. Angulu’s defence noted he had suffered a stroke while in custody, but Justice Joyce Abdulmalik rejected the request.
The court adjourned the matter to February 27 for the continuation of the examination of the first prosecution witness.
