The arraignment of four suspects charged in connection with the recent gunmen attack in the Angwa Rukuba Community, Jos, Plateau State, was halted on Thursday due to the absence of defense counsel.
The defendants came before Court 12 of the Plateau State High Court in Jos but were not arraigned because they requested an adjournment to call their counsel.
On March 28, suspected attackers assaulted settlements in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas, killing at least 30 people, including children.
The Plateau State Government has filed charges against the suspects in the March 2026 killings in Angwa Rukuba.
According to the authorities, they were detained by the DSS between April 3 and April 10, 2026, and are facing charges of criminal conspiracy to conduct terrorism and related offenses.
The four accused are Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar (also known as Auwalu Dogo), Musa Abubakar Ibrahim (also known as Yaroro), and a fourth defendant.
According to the accusation filed by the State Attorney General, Philemon Daffi, the defendants behaved “contrary to Section 269 and punishable under Section 270 of the Penal Code Law of Plateau State, 2017.”
The charge stated, “That you… did conspire amongst yourselves to commit offenses relating to terrorism when you planned, organized, facilitated, aided, and contributed money to carry out the attack in Angwan Rukuba… which led to the death of over thirty (30) people.”
Following the attack, Governor Caleb Mutfwang condemned the killings, describing them as attempts to destabilize the state.
“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,” he said.
President Bola Tinubu visited the state earlier this month and talked with victims, assuring 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.
