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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday admitted an AK-47 rifle allegedly recovered from one of the suspects linked to the June 13, 2025 attack on Yelwata in Guma Local Government Area of Benue State.
Justice Joyce Abdulmalik admitted the weapon after it was presented in court by the first prosecution witness during the proceedings.
The witness, Moses Paul, a senior officer with the Nigeria Police Force Intelligence Response Unit, told the court that the firearm was recovered from one of the defendants, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu.
“The rifle has some naira notes in-between because it is their belief that if you put money in an AK 47, it will answer,” Mr Paul said.
The court admitted the rifle as Exhibit A, while the naira notes found inside it were marked as Exhibits C1 to C5.
A ballistic report on the weapon was also submitted by the prosecution. The witness stated that the report confirmed the rifle was “recently used and active.”
The document was admitted as Exhibit B.
Nine suspects are currently standing trial over the attack on Yelwata community, which reportedly killed about 150 people.
They were arraigned on February 2 on 57 terrorism-related charges by the Nigerian government.
The defendants include Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Musa Mohammed, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sale Mohammed and Bako Jibrin. All pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During his testimony, the witness said investigations linked the violence to disputes arising from the anti-grazing law introduced by the Benue State Government.
According to him, Haruna Abdullahi allegedly threatened retaliation after claiming that his cattle and children were killed.
The witness further told the court that the suspects held meetings in Nasarawa State where the attack was planned.
He said the first defendant allegedly convened a meeting of Fulani leaders where they agreed to mobilise men and resources for attacks on several communities.
Another meeting was later held where the attackers reportedly agreed to target Yelwata, Daudu and Udeyi communities, eventually settling on Yelwata.
The witness also claimed some of the defendants contributed money to fund the attack.
He told the court that one AK-47 was recovered from Saidu, while other weapons were allegedly with his children who remain at large.
According to the witness, one of the children was killed during a clash with the military.
The prosecution also submitted statements made by the defendants during the investigation.
However, defence lawyers objected to the admissibility of some of the statements, arguing they were obtained under duress and without the presence of legal counsel.
Justice Abdulmalik ordered a trial-within-trial to determine the validity of the statements. The hearing was scheduled for March 13.
Earlier, defence lawyers also alleged that the police were intimidating the defendants in custody in an attempt to force additional statements.
Responding, the prosecution denied the claim and said investigations had already been concluded.
The judge said she could not issue any directive on the allegation without concrete evidence or input from prison authorities.
