Nine suspects have been arraigned before the Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged roles in a deadly attack that claimed more than 150 lives in north-central Nigeria, federal prosecutors said on Monday, 9 February 2026.
The suspects were arraigned before Justice Inyang Ekwo at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on a nine-count charge bordering on terrorism, mass murder, conspiracy, and unlawful possession of firearms. Those arraigned are Musa Abdullahi, Sadiq Bello, Ibrahim Adamu, Audu Mohammed, Suleiman Garba, Abdullahi Sani, Yakubu Musa, Ismaila Tanko, and Usman Lawal.
According to the charge sheet filed by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, the accused are linked to coordinated attacks carried out between 23 and 25 December 2025 on several farming communities in parts of Benue and Plateau states. Prosecutors said the attacks targeted villages in Logo and Guma local government areas of Benue State, as well as communities around Bokkos and Mangu in Plateau State.
Federal prosecutor Mohammed Abubakar told the court that the defendants acted in concert with other armed fighters to invade the communities at night, killing residents, setting houses on fire, and forcing survivors to flee. He said the attacks resulted in the deaths of more than 150 people, including women and children, and displaced thousands of residents.
The prosecution said investigations by the Department of State Services and the Nigeria Police Force identified the suspects as members of an armed group responsible for repeated assaults in the region. Weapons allegedly recovered from the accused include AK-47 rifles, locally fabricated firearms, ammunition, and mobile phones said to have been used to coordinate the attacks.
All nine defendants pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in court. Defence counsel, led by Ahmed Raji, SAN, urged the court to grant the defendants bail, arguing that they were innocent and had been in detention for several months without trial. The prosecution opposed the bail application, citing the gravity of the offences and the risk that the accused could interfere with witnesses or flee.
Justice Ekwo ordered that the suspects be remanded in the custody of the Nigerian Correctional Service at the Kuje Correctional Centre, Abuja, and adjourned the case to 21 February 2026 for the hearing of bail applications.
