Court remands 4 suspects over Plateau massacre

Friday, April 24, 2026 - A Plateau State High Court on Thursday remanded four suspects in the custody of the Department of State Services over the March 2026 killings in the Angwa Rukuba community, Jos North Local Government Area, and adjourned the case until April 30, 2026, for arraignment.

The arraignment of the suspects was stalled due to the absence of defence counsel.

Our correspondent reports that the killings, which occurred on March 28, left no fewer than 30 persons, including children, dead after suspected attackers invaded communities in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas.

Following the incident, Governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the attacks, describing them as attempts to destabilise the state and insisting that “life must go on” despite the violence.

“But I said no! Life must go on. Plateau must move forward by the grace of God. The genocide on the Plateau will come to an end. What is happening is not a farmer-herder conflict. Let me be clear: it is genocide, and I urge the international community to take note,” the governor said.

President Bola Tinubu, who visited the state earlier this month, also met victims and assured them that justice would be served.

“We are optimistic that ongoing interventions will help restore lasting peace,” the President said, while urging residents to remain vigilant.

The four suspects listed for arraignment in court in Jos on Thursday include Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar (also known as Auwalu Dogo), Musa Abubakar Ibrahim (also known as Yaroro), among others, who are alleged to have conspired to carry out the attack.

The Plateau State Government filed charges against the suspects over the March 2026 killings in Angwa Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area.

The government said the suspects were arrested by the DSS between April 3 and April 10, 2026, and charged with offences including criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism and other related offences.

According to the charge filed by the State Attorney General, Philemon Daffi, the defendants acted “contrary to Section 269 and punishable under Section 270 of the Penal Code Law of Plateau State, 2017.”

The charge states, “That you… did conspire among yourselves to commit offences relating to terrorism when you planned, organised, facilitated, aided, and contributed money to carry out the attack in Angwan Rukuba… which led to the death of over thirty (30) people.”

When the case resumed on Thursday at Court 12 of the Plateau State High Court in Jos for arraignment, the suspects, speaking through an interpreter, requested an adjournment to enable them to engage defence counsel of their choice.

The prosecution counsel and Solicitor General of Plateau State, Joel Tagven, did not object to the application for adjournment. He, however, requested that the suspects be remanded in DSS custody pending the next hearing.

His application was granted.

“Ordinarily, the matter is supposed to come up today, but in view of the request of the accused demanding lawyers, we can adjourn the case to enable them to get lawyers of their choice. I also appeal that the suspects be remanded in DSS custody for easy access and continuation of the investigation,” the prosecution counsel said.

The presiding judge, Justice Gidelia FomYom, adjourned the case until April 30, 2026, for arraignment.

The suspects were immediately moved out of the court in a bus to the DSS facility.

In an interview with journalists, the Solicitor General of Plateau State commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for creating what he described as an enabling environment for the prosecution of the suspects in accordance with the law.

“We appreciate Mr President for giving a marching order. In fact, we appreciate him for four reasons. First, for giving the marching order, which led to the DSS making efforts that resulted in the arrest of the suspects.

“Second, in the past, prosecutions were not conducted in the state; suspects were usually taken to Abuja. But today, we have been permitted to prosecute them here,” he said.

He added, “Third, you will recall that when Mr President came, he pledged that security materials like CCTV cameras would be provided to the state for security purposes. That will go a long way in helping secure the state. Fourth is the issue of prosecuting them here. This is not how it used to be.

“This is now happening here, and it is something to appreciate Mr President, the governor, and the DSS for their collaboration and support to enable this prosecution in the state,” the Solicitor General added.