The trial of nine suspects accused of carrying out the 2025 Yelwata massacre in Benue State was stalled again on Wednesday at the Federal High Court in Abuja after the matter was adjourned for a second time.
The delay followed a request by counsel to the eighth and ninth defendants, Y.A. Hassan, who told the court it was his first appearance in the case. Hassan sought a short adjournment, explaining that he had yet to familiarise himself with the case as the former counsel had not handed over the case file.
Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, did not oppose the application but urged the court to grant only a brief adjournment.
While granting the request, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik cautioned that the case was of immense public interest and warned that the court would not tolerate avoidable delays. She noted that the court had been “bending over backwards” to accommodate the defence and adjourned proceedings to March 9 and 10 for day-to-day trial.
On February 2, the Federal Government arraigned the suspects before Justice Abdulmalik on a 57-count charge. The defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them through an interpreter.
The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, had requested an accelerated hearing and informed the court that eight witnesses were ready to testify. The defendants were remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre pending trial, while applications for oral bail were made by counsel to the first, eighth and ninth defendants.
The case had earlier been adjourned to February 26 and 27 for trial.
In a prior statement, the Office of the Attorney General assured Nigerians that justice would be served, describing the prosecution as the outcome of painstaking investigations and inter-agency collaboration. The statement reiterated the commitment of the administration of Bola Ahmed Tinubu to protecting lives and property.
The charges stem from the June 2025 attack on Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, where gunmen killed scores of residents and displaced hundreds, triggering nationwide outrage and protests.
A survivor, Msurshima Apeh, later recounted before a United States congressional panel how she witnessed the killing of her five children during the attack. The hearing examined a decision by Donald Trump to return Nigeria to the Country of Particular Concern list in November 2026.
Following the massacre, President Tinubu visited Benue State and directed security agencies to apprehend those responsible, publicly questioning the lack of immediate arrests and urging intensified efforts to track down the perpetrators.
The Yelwata killings form part of a broader pattern of violence in Benue State, including previous attacks in communities such as Otobi, where several people were killed.
