By Jemimah Wellington, JKNewsMedia Correspondent
TERRORISM-RELATED charges have been filed against nine men accused of carrying out a deadly attack on Yelwata community in Nigeria’s central Benue state that killed about 150 people.
JKNewsMedia.com reports that Nigerian prosecutors on Monday brought 57 counts at the Federal High Court (FHC) in Abuja, alleging the defendants planned and executed the June 13 assault, described in the court filing as one of the deadliest rural attacks in years.
The charges state that the men held planning meetings, raised funds, procured weapons and mobilised fighters across several states ahead of the attack.
Also, court documents submitted at the FHC in Abuja allege the defendants held planning meetings, raised funds, procured weapons and mobilised fighters across several states ahead of the June 13 assault, described in the filing as one of the deadliest rural attacks in years.
The filing states that 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 47s, aiding the gunmen or providing safe sites for planning.
Prosecutors say the raid torched homes and caused heavy casualties in Yelwata in Benue’s Guma district.
Benue lies within Nigeria’s volatile Middle Belt, identified as the fault line between the Muslim north and the Christian south.
The area has experienced years of violence linked to disputes over land, religion and ethnicity that authorities have struggled to control.
Meanwhile, Nigeria has been facing pressure to strengthen security amid Islamist attacks and mass kidnappings after United States (U.S.) President Donald Trump accused the country last year of failing to protect Christians.
On his instructions, the U.S. forces carried out strikes on December 25 on what they described as terrorist targets, while Nigerian authorities say they are cooperating with Washington to improve security.
