Nigerian prosecutors file 57 terrorism charges against nine men for a 2025 attack in Benue state that killed approximately 150 people.
ABUJA: Nigerian prosecutors have filed 57 terrorism-related charges against nine men accused of carrying out a deadly attack in June 2025.
The assault on the Yelwata community in central Benue state killed approximately 150 people, marking one of the deadliest rural assaults in recent years.
The charges, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, allege the defendants held planning meetings, raised funds, procured weapons, and mobilised fighters across several states ahead of the June 13 attack.
Prosecutors say ringleader Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono and others met in neighbouring Nasarawa state to raise cash, issue orders and recruit fighters.
Several defendants are accused of supplying AK-47 rifles, aiding the gunmen or providing safe sites for planning the assault.
The raid reportedly torched homes and caused heavy casualties in Yelwata, located in Benue’s Guma district.
Benue sits in Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt, a fault line between the Muslim north and Christian south.
Years of violence over land, religion, and ethnicity have proved difficult for authorities to control.
Nigeria is under pressure to restore security amid Islamist attacks and mass kidnappings.
This pressure intensified after U.S. President Donald Trump accused Nigeria last year of failing to protect Christians.
U.S. forces subsequently struck what they described as terrorist targets on December 25.
Nigerian authorities say they are cooperating with Washington to improve security.
