Nine suspects accused of orchestrating a mass killing in north-central Nigeria have been arraigned before a federal court.
The defendants were arraigned on Monday and are facing 57 terrorism-related charges tied to the assault on Yelewata, a community in Benue state’s Guma area, where more than 150 people were killed in June last year. All nine pleaded “not guilty” and now risk sentences ranging from life imprisonment to the death penalty if found guilty.
Presidential spokesperson Kamarudeen Ogundele said the case followed an extensive probe involving multiple government agencies. In a statement released on Sunday, he stressed that authorities were committed to seeing the process through.
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“The office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice wishes to assure Nigerians that Justice will be ensured in the matter to send a strong signal to the enemies of the country, acting under any disguise,” Ogundele said in an AP’s report.
The trial occurs on the heels of Nigeria’s widening security emergency. While Islamist insurgents continue to operate in the northeast, large swathes of the northwest and north-central regions have been plagued by a spike in kidnappings for ransom and coordinated attacks by armed groups in recent months.
Violence like the Yelewata massacre has become a grim feature of northern Nigeria, where longstanding disputes between herders and farmers over land and water have escalated into sustained bloodshed. Officials and security analysts say the conflict has intensified as more herdsmen have taken up weapons, making confrontations increasingly lethal.
International scrutiny has also sharpened. In December, the United States carried out airstrikes in northern Nigeria, saying it was targeting fighters linked to the Islamic State group, following accusations that Abuja had failed to curb attacks on Christian communities. Nigerian authorities have since recorded a rise in assaults on churches in the region.
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The U.S. has also pledged to deliver military equipment Nigeria purchased over the past five years, though the supplies are yet to arrive. The package includes drones, helicopters, platforms, spare parts and support systems, all intended to bolster Nigeria’s capacity to counter militant violence and terrorism nationwide.
