The trial of nine suspects accused of involvement in the 2025 Yelwata massacre in Benue State suffered another setback on Wednesday, as proceedings at the Federal High Court in Abuja were adjourned following a request by defence counsel.
The delay came after Y.A. Hassan, counsel to the eighth and ninth defendants, told the court it was his first appearance in the matter.
He explained that he had yet to familiarise himself with the facts of the case, as the previous lawyer handling the defence had not transferred the case file to him.
He therefore sought a short adjournment to enable adequate preparation.
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, did not oppose the request but urged the court to grant only a brief adjournment in view of the seriousness of the charges.
While granting the application, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik stressed that the matter was of significant public interest and warned that the court would not tolerate unnecessary delays.
She noted that the court was “bending over backwards” to accommodate the defence and adjourned the case to March 9 and 10 for day-to-day trial.
The Federal Government had on February 2 arraigned the suspects before Justice Abdulmalik on a 57-count charge bordering on terrorism and related offences.
The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges, which were read to them through an interpreter.
The Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, had earlier pushed for an accelerated trial, informing the court that eight witnesses were ready to testify.
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The defendants were subsequently remanded at the Kuje Correctional Centre pending the commencement of trial, despite oral bail applications by counsel to the first, eighth and ninth defendants.
The Yelwata attack, which occurred in June 2025 in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State, left scores dead and hundreds displaced.
The violence triggered nationwide outrage and protests, with security agencies later announcing arrests linked to the killings.
The human toll of the attack was laid bare in testimony before the United States Congress by survivor Msurshima Apeh, who recounted hiding in a tree while her five children were killed during the onslaught. Her account drew international attention to the worsening insecurity in parts of Nigeria.
President Bola Ahmed Tinubu had visited Benue State in the aftermath of the killings, directing security operatives to apprehend those responsible.
“I expect there should be an arrest of those criminals,” he said during a stakeholders’ meeting at the Benue Government House in Makurdi.
In a statement at the time, the Office of the Attorney General assured Nigerians that justice would be served, describing the prosecution as the outcome of “painstaking investigation and collaboration by government agencies.”
As families of victims and displaced residents await justice, Wednesday’s adjournment underscores both the legal complexities and the intense public scrutiny surrounding one of the deadliest attacks recorded in the state in recent years.