A prosecution witness told the Federal High Court on Thursday that some disgruntled Fulani chiefs allegedly sponsored over 200 armed men wielding AK-47 rifles to carry out the June 13, 2025, attack on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area, Benue State.
The attack reportedly left more than 200 people dead and destroyed properties worth millions of naira.
The witness, Moses Paul, a team leader with the Intelligence Response Team of the Nigeria Police Force, testified in the trial of nine suspects charged in connection with the deadly incident.
The nine defendants, accused of involvement in the Yelwata attack, pleaded not guilty on Monday, February 3, 2026, to 57 amended charges bordering on terrorism before the Federal High Court in Abuja.
In count one, the suspects were alleged to have participated in meetings between May and June 2025 in Nasarawa State to plan the attack. The prosecution claims the assault involved the burning of houses, grievous bodily harm, and the death of about 150 persons, contrary to Section 12(a) of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
The 1st to 5th and 7th to 10th defendants were remanded at the Kuje Correctional Facility pending trial.
Led in evidence by the Rotimi Oyedepo, Paul alleged that the attackers were commissioned and funded by Fulani chiefs who pooled resources and planned the assault.
Paul recounted that he received a distress call in Apa, Benue State, on the day of the incident and was immediately assigned 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,” he said.
The first defendant arrested, Haruna Abdullahi, allegedly confessed during interrogation to attending meetings involving Fulani chiefs aimed at addressing what was described as unfair treatment of Fulani in Benue and Nasarawa, including the killing of cattle and kinsmen.
The witness said the initial target was the Daudu community, but the attackers diverted to Yelwata after encountering resistance.
Earlier, the court declined an application by the first defendant’s counsel, Ibrahim Angulu, to challenge jurisdiction and request bail, despite claims that Angulu suffered a stroke while in custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service.
The court adjourned the matter to February 27 for the continuation of the examination of the first prosecution witness.
