A Federal High Court in Abuja heard on Thursday that the over 100 people involved in the June 13, 2025, violent attack in Yelwata community in Benue, in which about 150 persons died, and property destroyed, were armed with AK-47 rifles.
A police investigator and member of the Intelligence Response Unit (IRU) of the Nigeria Police Force (NPF), Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP), Moses Paul, said this while testifying at the resumed trial of nine men accused of being involved in the attack.
Paul said, “The number of people that came for the attack in Yelwata was over 100, and they were wielding AK-47s.
“Investigation into the case is still ongoing. Any moment from now, we may still bring another set of people.”
The nine men are: Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Alhaji Musa Mohammed, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sale Mohammed, and Bako Jibrin.
Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation (DPPF), Rotimi Oyedepo (SAN), Paul (who featured as the first prosecution witness) said the attack was carried out by Fulanis, who were on a retaliatory mission.
Paul said he knew all the defendants because he participated personally in their arrest in three communities in Nasarawa State shortly after the attack.
The PW1 added, “On the 13th of June 2025, we received news of an attack in Yelwata in Benue State. I was in Apa, Benue State, working on a kidnapping case when we were drafted to immediately move to Yelwata town.
“We moved into the area on June 14 and gathered information that led to the arrest of the defendants. Some of them were arrested in Kadalko (a border town between Benue and Nasarawa State), Ageregu (another border town), and Lafia in Nasarawa State,” the witness said.
Paul confirmed that the investigation revealed that there was actually an attack, which led to the killing of over 200 people, with many others injured and property destroyed.
He added, “We learnt that over 200 people attacked Yelwata. The attack was initially planned for Dawudu village, but the attackers were repelled and proceeded to Yelwata, where they killed over 200 people.
“Yelwata is like a meeting point for displaced people in other villages in Benue State. So, people who were taking refuge in Yelwata were also victims of the attack.”
The witness said he visited Yelwata and was there for almost a month in the course of the investigation.
On why it was only the nine defendants that were brought to court, the witness said they were arrested based on human intelligence gathered based on the investigation.
Paul told the court that the first person to be arrested was Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, who was in Ageregu village.
He said Abdullahi admitted during interrogation that he participated in a meeting that was held in the house of Alhaji Ardo Lawal Dono, in Nasarawa State, in which all the Ardos were in attendance, including Ardo Giza, Ardo Kwara, and Ardo Giana.
The witness said the meeting dwelt on complaints about the way the Fulanis were being treated in Benue, during which Abdullahi claimed that his cows and two of his children had been killed.
He said that at the end of the first meeting, Ardo Lawan, being the head of Ardos in Nasawa State, asked them to go and do what they thought would help them.
Paul said the second meeting was held at Ardo Mohammed Saidu’s (2nd defendant’s) house and agreed to contribute funds to execute the attack.
He added that Abdullahi admitted contributing N300,000, while another participant at the meeting contributed N200,000.
The witness told the court that Abdullahi also told him that Ardo Kadalko (Mohammed Saidu) said he lost about 250 of his cows and two of his children in a place very close to Yelwata.
On how the investigators confirmed that the meetings were actually held, the witness said they were able to ascertain from the other defendants that the two meetings were actually held and that plans for the attack were concluded at their meetings.
The trial resumes on February 27 before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik.
