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A key prosecution witness in the Federal High Court trial over the June 13, 2025, Yelwata massacre in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State has alleged that more than 200 armed men, wielding AK-47 rifles, executed the attack that claimed over 150 lives.
The witness, Moses Paul, a Chief Superintendent of Police attached to the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigeria Police Force, gave the testimony on Thursday, February 26, 2026, before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik in Abuja. Led in evidence by the Director of Public Prosecutions of the Federation, Rotimi Oyedepo, SAN, CSP Paul stated that the assailants were allegedly commissioned and funded by disgruntled Fulani chiefs who convened multiple meetings in Nasarawa State between May and June 2025.
According to the witness, the meetings—some held at the residence of one Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono—were convened to address perceived grievances, including the alleged killing of cattle and unfair treatment of Fulani herders in Nasarawa and Benue States. He claimed funds were pooled during these gatherings to mobilise and arm participants for a revenge operation.
CSP Paul recounted being in Apa, Benue State, on a separate kidnapping assignment when news of the Yelwata attack broke. His team was immediately redeployed to the scene, launching investigations on June 14, 2025. Arrests followed in border communities such as Kadarko and Ageregu (between Benue and Nasarawa) as well as in Lafia, Nasarawa State.
The witness told the court that the first arrestee, Haruna Abdullahi, confessed during interrogation to attending the planning meetings in Nasarawa State. He further alleged that the initial target was Dawududu community, but the attackers diverted to Yelwata after encountering resistance, turning the location—already a refuge for displaced persons—into the main site of the assault.
The nine defendants—Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu (aka Ardo Kadalko), Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Alhaji Mohammed Musa, Yakubu Adamu, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Saleh Mohammed, and Bako Jibrin—are facing a 57-count amended charge bordering on terrorism under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The Federal Government, through the Department of Public Prosecutions, stated that the arraignment followed painstaking investigations and inter-agency collaboration. The defendants, who pleaded not guilty, remain remanded at Kuje Correctional Centre.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to Friday, February 27, 2026, for continuation of the examination of the first prosecution witness. The trial continues to draw attention amid ongoing debates over the nature, motives, and perpetrators of the violence in Benue State.
