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The federal government says it will on Monday, 2 February, arraign suspects allegedly involved in the fatal attack on Yelwata community in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
The suspects will be arraigned before Justice Joyce Abdul-Malik of the Federal High Court in Abuja, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice.
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The statement, signed by the Senior Adviser to the President on Communication and Publicity in the Ministry of Justice, Kamarudeen Ogundele, said the arraignment followed “a painstaking investigation and collaboration by government agencies.”
“The Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice wishes to assure Nigerians that justice will be ensured in the matter to send a strong signal to the enemies of the country, acting under any disguise,” the statement said.
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It added that the administration of President Bola Tinubu “is committed to the protection of lives and property of all as enshrined in the constitution.”
The Yelwata attack
PREMIUM TIMES reports that Yelwata was attacked on 13 June 2025, when gunmen stormed the town in a coordinated overnight assault that left more than 100 people dead, according to rights groups and local accounts. Homes and markets were razed, while hundreds of residents were injured or displaced.
Amnesty International described the attack as part of an “alarming escalation of violence” in Benue State and accused the Nigerian authorities of failing to halt what it called “almost daily bloodshed” in the state.
President Tinubu visited Makurdi, the Benue State capital, days after the attack, describing the killings as “senseless bloodletting.” He directed security chiefs to act decisively and instructed the Benue and Nasarawa state governments to form a joint peace committee.
Earlier prosecutions linked to Benue attacks
The planned arraignment comes months after the federal government filed terrorism-related charges against several suspects linked to attacks in Benue and neighbouring states.
On 29 August 2025, PREMIUM TIMES reported that the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Muhammad Abubakar, filed six separate cases at the Federal High Court in Abuja against nine defendants. The suspects were charged with acts of terrorism, including killings in Yelwata and Abinsi communities in Guma Local Government Area.
The charges included planning and preparing for acts of terrorism, carrying out reprisals, and illegal possession, buying and selling of firearms, contrary to provisions of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022, and the Firearms Act.
On 3 September 2025, the government formally arraigned the nine suspects. One of them, Timnan Manjo, pleaded guilty to two counts relating to illegal arms transactions, while the remaining defendants denied all charges and were ordered to remain in the custody of the State Security Service.
Continued violence, renewed assurances
Despite the arrests and prosecutions, attacks have continued in parts of Benue State, with fresh incidents of killings, displacement and banditry reported in several local government areas.
Sunday’s statement by the Ministry of Justice said the impending arraignment was part of renewed efforts by the federal government to ensure accountability for crimes committed during the Yelwata massacre and related attacks.
The government said it hoped the prosecution would “send a strong signal” and reaffirm its resolve to confront those responsible for violence in Benue and other parts of the country.
