The Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday arraigned nine key suspects before the Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in brutal killings, reprisal attacks, and arms trafficking that have ravaged Benue and Plateau States.
Prosecutors laid out a series of severe charges tying the defendants to organised assaults, cattle rustling, the destruction of property, and the circulation of sophisticated weapons across North-Central Nigeria.
Two suspects, Haruna Adamu and Muhammad Abdullahi, both from Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, are facing a four-count charge linked to coordinated attacks on Abinsi and Yelewata communities in Guma Local Government Area of Benue on 13 June 2025.
In the same proceedings, two indigenes of Guma, Terkende Ashuwa and Amos Alede, were charged with three counts connected to reprisal raids, destruction of homes, and the killing of 12 cattle in Ukpam village.
The DSS also arraigned 32-year-old Halima Haliru Umar of Faskari Local Government Area, Katsina State, on four counts for allegedly withholding intelligence about the activities of a suspected arms dealer and kidnap kingpin identified as Alhaji Sani.
Another defendant, Silas Iduh Oloche from Agatu Local Government Area, Benue State, was charged with illegal possession of 18 firearms, including grenades, in violation of the Firearms Act.
Separately, 75-year-old Nanbol Tali and Timnan Manjo, both residents of Plateau State, were accused of selling two locally fabricated AK-47 rifles for N3 million.
Similarly, 62-year-old Danjuma Antu of Jos North Local Government Area, Plateau State, was slammed with a five-count charge for unlawful possession of two pistols and 9mm rounds of ammunition.
The DSS, in its filings, linked the nine defendants to a network behind a wave of deadly attacks that left scores of people dead in Benue and Plateau, exposing how illicit weapons continue to flow into communities already devastated by violence.
The trial, now before the Federal High Court, is viewed as a pivotal moment in Nigeria’s efforts to dismantle entrenched criminal networks fuelling bloodshed across the North-Central region.