The Federal Government of Nigeria on Monday arraigned suspects linked to the Yelwata killings in Benue State before Justice Joyce Abdul-Malik of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Nine suspects were charged on a 57-count indictment, which is currently being read to them through an interpreter. The Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi (SAN), led the prosecution.
The Office of the AGF assured Nigerians that justice would be served, sending a warning to those acting under disguise to commit crimes. Kamarudeen Ogundele, Special Adviser to the AGF, emphasized that the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is committed to protecting lives and property, as enshrined in the constitution, following a “painstaking investigation and collaboration by government agencies.”
The arraignment relates to the June 2025 attack on the Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area, where gunmen killed scores of people and displaced hundreds. The incident sparked nationwide condemnation and protests.
One survivor, Msurshima Apeh, told the United States Congress how she witnessed her five children being killed during the attack. “I raised my hands on a tree and climbed up where I was able to hide myself. My five children below were crying, and in my presence, they were slaughtered by the terrorists,” she said before a House Subcommittee on Africa examining Nigeria’s human rights record.
Following the attack, President Tinubu visited Benue State and urged security operatives to apprehend 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,” he told officials in Makurdi, the state capital.
The Yelwata killings add to a series of violent incidents in Benue, including the 2019 murder of Igbabe Ochi, a PDP House of Assembly candidate for Otukpo-Akpa State Constituency, among others.
