The Federal Government on Monday, February 2, 2026, arraigned nine suspected terrorists who allegedly attacked Yelwata in Benue and allegedly massacred about 150 persons in a bloody attacks.
The Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Mr Lateef Fagbemi, SAN, who led the Federal Government’s team of lawyers to court, told Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that a 57-amended count had been filed against the defendants.
The AGF also told the court that though 10 defendants were earlier listed in the amended charge, he sought the order of court to strike out the name of the 6th defendant, Yakubu Mamman.
The defence lawyers led by Ibrahim Angulu, SAN; that included A. I. Kaura and Adamu Abdullahi, did not opposed the AGF’s application.
Accordingly, Mamman’s names was struck out from the charge.
The AGF also applied that the initial charge dated September 9, 2025, but filed on September 10, 2025, in which eight defendants were listed should be substituted for the amended charge dated January 19, 2026, but filed January 20, 2026 and marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/471/2025
Since the defence did not object to the application, the trial judge struck out the earlier charge.
The AGF then applied that the 57 counts be read to the defendants to enable them take their plea.
The suspected terrorists were alleged to have carried out the attack on June 13, 2025, during which many houses were razed and about 150 people were massacred, while others sustained various degree of injuries.
The nine arraigned suspects include; Ardo Lawal Mohammed, Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Muhammed Musa, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Saleh Mohammed, Bako Jibrin.
