An AK-47 rifle and naira notes have been admitted as evidence in the trial of suspects linked to the deadly Yelwata village attack in Benue State.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court admitted the firearm on Monday after Moses Paul, a senior officer of the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Unit, identified it in court. The rifle was marked as Exhibit A, the naira notes as Exhibits C1 to C5, and a ballistic report confirming the weapon’s status as Exhibit B.
Nine men (Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Musa Mohammed, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sale Mohammed and Bako Jibrin) were arraigned in February on 57 counts of terrorism over the June 13, 2025 attack, which reportedly killed about 150 people. All pleaded not guilty.
Paul told the court the attack stemmed from disputes over Benue State’s anti-grazing law. He said Abdullahi and Saidu claimed their cattle and children were killed and allegedly plotted revenge. Investigations showed meetings in Nasarawa State, where Dono allegedly directed Fulani leaders to plan the attack. Yelwata was later chosen as the main target. Abdullahi contributed N300,000 and Musa Mohammed – N200,000.
Saidu reportedly participated with five of his children, armed with AK-47 rifles, and admitted killing eight people. Police later recovered one rifle from him, containing naira notes, based on a belief that it would make the weapon more effective.
Defence lawyers raised objections to the ballistic report and statements obtained during investigation, claiming coercion. The court admitted the rifle, cash, and report as evidence, and ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the statements. Proceedings were adjourned to March 13.
The judge also noted that allegations of police intimidation could not be addressed without evidence from correctional authorities.
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