The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday admitted into evidence a compact disc containing recorded statements of defendants standing trial over alleged killings in Benue State.
The prosecution counsel, Mariam Okorie, tendered the disc, informing the court that the defence had been served with the material. Defence counsel raised no objection, prompting the trial judge to admit the disc and mark it as Exhibit TWT1.
The court subsequently played the video recordings in open court.
In one of the recordings, a prosecution witness, Paul Moses, explained that the footage captured the defendants at the point of arrest in Benue, their transfer to the Intelligence Response Team, and the recording of their statements in the presence of their lawyers and family members.
One clip featured the third defendant, Haruna Abdullahi, responding to questions from an investigating officer. He confirmed his personal details, stating that he has four wives and 15 children.
Abdullahi said he lost about 100 cows and two children, adding that other Fulani herders suffered similar losses around May last year. He further stated that an Ardo convened a meeting, which he attended due to his losses.
According to him, he contributed N300,000 at the meeting as part of efforts he described as seeking revenge. He also disclosed that he previously owned an AK-47 rifle but had sold it.
In another clip, Abdullahi alleged that hundreds of cattle and rams belonging to him and others were killed, blaming Tiv youths for the attacks. He said the situation forced many herders to flee and led to several meetings among community leaders.
He admitted attending one such meeting and contributing money, claiming that the government failed to address their grievances.
In a separate recording, Abdullahi said he was asked to contribute N300,000 alongside others following directives from an Ardo, who allegedly instructed households to pay after livestock losses. However, he said he did not know whether the funds were ultimately used to finance any attack.
During the playback, counsel for the third defendant raised concerns about the accuracy of the Hausa-to-English interpretation, alleging that it was defective.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik asked whether the defence intended to apply for the interpreter’s discharge. Counsel for the third defendant, Ahmed Muhammad, responded in the affirmative.
The court subsequently discharged the interpreter and directed the prosecution to provide a replacement before the next adjourned date.
At the previous hearing, proceedings were disrupted after Abdullahi slumped shortly after entering the courtroom. Court officials and prison warders attempted to revive him and later assisted him back to his seat, though he remained unresponsive.
Earlier in the trial, following the testimony of the first prosecution witness, the prosecution sought to tender the defendants’ statements. The defence objected, prompting the court to order a trial-within-trial.
The proceedings were further delayed after the prosecution disclosed that the device containing the video recordings of the confessional statements had been corrupted, drawing caution from the court over repeated setbacks.
