The trial of suspects linked to the 2025 Yelwata killings was halted on Tuesday after one of the defendants collapsed in court.
The nine defendants — Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, Yakubu Adamu, Musa Mohammed, Abubakar Adamu, Shaibu Ibrahim, Sale Mohammed, and Bako Jibrin — are facing a 57-count charge bordering on terrorism.
The disruption occurred shortly after proceedings began around 10 a.m., when Abdullahi, the third defendant, suddenly slumped in the courtroom.
Prison officials attempted to revive him and returned him to his seat, but he remained unresponsive.
When the case was later called, the presiding judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, ruled that the defendant could not be considered present.
“You can’t say he is present,” the judge said, noting that he had “been like that for over an hour.”
The Director of Public Prosecutions, Rotimi Oyedepo, informed the court that prison authorities had confirmed the defendant was in stable condition before arriving in court.
Counsel to the third defendant, Ahmed Muhammad, urged the court to adjourn to allow for immediate medical attention.
“The third defendant came in by himself, but unfortunately, he collapsed. We humbly request that he be taken to a medical facility for treatment,” he said.
Another defence counsel, Ibrahim Angulu, also appealed on humanitarian grounds, noting that the defendant’s condition required urgent attention.
Oyedepo subsequently applied for an adjournment to enable prison officials attend to the defendant — a request the court granted.
Justice Abdulmalik adjourned the matter to March 30 for continuation of proceedings and directed that hearing notices be served on absent defence counsel.
The defendants were arraigned on February 2 over the attack on Yelwata community in Benue State, which left about 150 people dead. They all pleaded not guilty to the charges.
In this article