The trial of nine suspects charged over the June 13, 2025 attack on Yelwata community in Benue State encountered another setback on Friday after a dispute over legal representation disrupted proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja, ENigeria Newspaper gathered.
The interruption occurred when the 7th and 8th defendants appeared in court without separate legal counsel. At the start of the session before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, appearances were announced for the prosecution and most of the defence team, but the court noted that the two defendants lacked direct representation.
When queried, the pair informed the court that they were being represented by the counsel to the 1st defendant, Ibrahim Angulu, SAN.
However, Angulu told the court he was surprised by the claim, stating that he had earlier received a message allegedly disengaging him from representing the two defendants. The senior advocate had also formally filed an application to withdraw from the case.
Justice Abdulmalik acknowledged the withdrawal request but ruled that the court retains discretion to reject such an application where it could disrupt proceedings. When asked directly whether they had sent any message relieving the lawyer of his brief, the 7th and 8th defendants denied doing so.
In the interest of justice and to prevent further delays, the judge declined Angulu’s request to withdraw and directed him to continue representing the two defendants. The court further ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service to grant the senior lawyer unrestricted access to the defendants to enable proper legal consultations.
The case was adjourned until March 4 for continuation of trial and hearing of pending applications.
The nine defendants are facing a 57-count amended charge bordering on terrorism in connection with the deadly Yelwata attack in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State. A prosecution witness had earlier testified that more than 200 armed men carried out the assault and alleged that disgruntled Fulani chiefs financed the operation. The defendants have pleaded not guilty.
Meanwhile, efforts to strengthen the prosecution’s case with forensic evidence are still underway.
The Benue State Government confirmed to ENigeria Newspaper on Friday that a team of federal medical pathologists visited the state to conduct forensic examinations related to the massacre but has yet to release its findings.
The Technical Adviser to the Governor on Communication, Media and Publicity, Solomon Iorpev, confirmed the development, saying the team had completed its visit but had not submitted its report.
“It’s true the forensic team came to the state for further investigation on the Yelwata crisis, but they are yet to release the report of their findings to us,” he said.
Also confirming the development, the Director General of Homeland Security in the state, Air Commodore Jacob Gbamwuan (retd.), stated that the team arrived from Abuja alongside security operatives but had not made its conclusions public.
“A team of pathologists visited the state and we took them to Yelwata for forensic examination. They came from Abuja alongside security operatives, but the report is yet to be released, so I cannot tell what it contains,” he said.
Community sources disclosed that several bodies were exhumed from mass graves during the visit, which began on February 23. A senior government official, who spoke anonymously, said the forensic team was led by a professor of Benue origin and that the state government would be formally briefed once the report is finalized.
Residents reported that the team visited multiple grave sites within the community and was last seen on Thursday. While the exact number of exhumed bodies could not be confirmed, the exercise is believed to be aimed at gathering forensic evidence for use in the ongoing federal trial.
