April 30, (THEWILL) — A Plateau State High Court sitting in Jos has adjourned proceedings in the trial of four suspects linked to the deadly Angwa Rukuba killings in Jos North Local Government Area, while ordering their continued detention in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) pending the conclusion of investigations.
The ruling was delivered by Justice Danladi Longden during the resumed hearing of the case, as the Plateau State Government intensified efforts to prosecute those allegedly responsible for the March 2025 violence that claimed more than 30 lives and left several communities devastated.
At the hearing, the Plateau State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Audu Daffi, informed the court that the prosecution had already filed a Case Management Conference (CMC) alongside the charges against the defendants.
Daffi urged the court to fix a date for the conference and also requested that the accused persons remain in DSS custody, stressing that investigators needed more time to complete ongoing investigations, particularly as one of the principal suspects in the case remained at large.
“The secret police need sufficient time to conclude their investigation, particularly as one of the principal suspects is still at large,” the Attorney General told the court.
Lead defence counsel, Mustapha Shabbat Ibrahim, SAN, did not oppose the fixing of a date for the CMC but objected to the continued detention of the defendants in DSS custody.
According to him, keeping the suspects in DSS custody could hinder proper access to legal representation and consultation.
“I am not opposed to picking a date for the CMC, but I oppose the continued detention of my clients in DSS custody as I may not have access to them,” Ibrahim argued.
Responding to the defence objection, Daffi dismissed fears that the DSS would deny legal representatives access to the detainees.
“In my 37 years of practice, I have yet to encounter an occasion where the DSS blocked lawyers from accessing clients in their detention facility,” he said.
After listening to arguments from both parties, Justice Longden adjourned the matter to May 8, 2026, for the Case Management Conference and ordered that the four defendants remain in DSS custody pending further proceedings.
The accused persons (including Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar, also known as Auwalu Dogo, Musa Abubakar Ibrahim, also known as Yaroro, and Adamu Isa Alhassan), were arraigned by the Plateau State Government a week earlier following their arrest over the attacks.
They are facing multiple charges ranging from criminal conspiracy and terrorism to culpable homicide, illegal possession of firearms, and illegal arms trafficking.
According to the charge sheet, the offences are “contrary to Section 269 and punishable under Section 270 of the Penal Code Law of Plateau State, 2017.”
The prosecution alleged that the suspects, alongside others currently at large, conspired and financed the March 28, 2025 attack in Farin Gada, Jos North Local Government Area, which escalated into the killings in Angwa Rukuba.
Part of the charge read: “That you… did conspire amongst yourselves to commit offences 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.”
One of the defendants, Adamu Isa Alhassan, is separately facing charges of culpable homicide punishable by death.
The prosecution alleged that between January 2025 and January 2026, he and others carried out coordinated armed attacks on communities in Riyom and Jos South Local Government Areas, leading to the deaths of several residents across multiple villages.
The March 2025 violence in Plateau State, which reportedly claimed the lives of women, children, and other residents, sparked nationwide outrage and renewed concerns over persistent attacks in parts of the state.
The killings also triggered calls for the suspension of the “Experience Plateau, Arts Meets Fashion” event, but Governor Caleb Mutfwang rejected the demands, insisting that Plateau State would not surrender to fear or intimidation.
“Many advised that we suspend this function, but we realized that these attackers intend to keep us in perpetual mourning, to force us indoors, and to shackle our collective spirit. 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.
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