Trial Of Yelwata Killings Suspects Halted As Defendant Collapses In Court

Proceedings in the trial of suspects linked to the 2025 Yelwata killings were on Tuesday stalled after one of the defendants slumped in court.

The nine defendants, Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Musa Mohammed, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sale Mohammed and Bako Jibrin, are facing a 57-count charge bordering on terrorism.

The disruption occurred shortly after the defendants were brought into the courtroom around 10 am. The third defendant, Abdullahi, reportedly collapsed suddenly, prompting prison officials to attempt to revive him.

Although he was returned to his seat, he remained unresponsive when the matter was later called.

The presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, ruled that the defendant could not be considered present for the trial.

“You can’t say he is present,” the judge said, noting that the defendant had “been like that for over an hour.”

The Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that prison authorities had earlier confirmed that the defendant was stable before being brought to court.

Counsel to the third defendant, Ahmed Muhammad, appealed to the court to adjourn the case to allow his client to receive immediate medical treatment.

“The third defendant came in by himself, but unfortunately, he collapsed. We humbly request that he be taken to a facility for treatment,” he said.

Another defence lawyer, Ibrahim Angulu, also urged the court to prioritise the defendant’s health.

“Human beings are very fragile. If he is pretending, when we get to the hospital, they will tell us, because one has to be alive to face trial,” he said.

Following the request, the prosecution applied for an adjournment to allow prison authorities to attend to the defendant.

Justice Abdulmalik granted the request and adjourned the case to March 30 for continuation of proceedings. She also directed that hearing notices be served on absent defence counsel.

The defendants were arraigned on February 2 over the attack on the Yelwata community in Benue State, which reportedly left about 150 people dead.

All nine defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.