DSS Arraigns Nine for Benue and Plateau Attacks
The Department of State Services (DSS) has formally brought charges against nine individuals accused of involvement in the recent deadly attacks in Benue and Plateau States, which have deeply affected the Middle Belt region.
The security agency also took into custody a suspected arms trafficker, who was reportedly apprehended with seven M16 rifles believed to have fueled the ongoing insecurity in these states.
The charges, filed separately at the Federal High Court in Abuja, detail the tragic aftermath of the attacks—including over 40 lives lost, dozens wounded, and numerous families displaced from their homes across local communities.
According to the DSS, the attacks on Abinsi and Yelwata villages in Benue on June 13, 2025, were allegedly orchestrated by Haruna Adamu and Muhammad Abdullahi from Awe Local Government Area of Nasarawa State, with several accomplices who remain at large.
Both men, along with six other co-defendants—Musa Beniyon, Bako Malowa, Ibrahim Tunga, Asara Ahnadu, Legu Musa, Adamu Yale, Boddi Ayuba, and Pyeure Damina—face prosecution under section 12 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
The court case, referenced as FHC/ABJ/CR/449/2025, was filed by the Director of Public Prosecution of the Federation, Muhammad Abubakar.
Reprisal Attacks in Benue
In a separate suit, FHC/ABJ/CR/448/2025, two more individuals—Terkende Ashuwa and Amos Alede of Guma Local Government Area, Benue—are accused of carrying out retaliatory strikes that destroyed private properties and resulted in 12 cattle being lost in Ukpam village.
Investigators report the pair also conspired in Daudu town, Guma LGA, to plot further terrorist incidents with illegally-acquired weapons supplied by Alhaji Uba, including AK-47s and homemade firearms.
Additionally, a 32-year-old woman, Halima Haliru Umar of Faskari LGA, Katsina State, faces four terrorism-related counts. She is alleged to have transported 302 rounds of AK-47 ammunition to bandits in July 2025, while hiding evidence concerning an infamous firearms dealer, Alhaji Sani.
Authorities say her actions violate sections 6 and 13 of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act, 2022.
Prosecution of Arms Dealers in Plateau
Elsewhere in Plateau State, a 75-year-old man, Nanbol Tali, alongside Timnan Manjo, is facing four charges related to the illegal sale and purchase of locally-made AK-47 rifles worth ₦3 million. The duo also reportedly bought three revolvers for ₦60,000 each, intended for resale to criminal elements.
The DSS states that these offenses contravene sections 9 and 27 of the Firearms Act, 2024.
Danjuma Antu, of Jos North LGA, also stands accused—this time on a five-count indictment for possessing two locally fabricated pistols capable of firing 9mm ammunition.
Meanwhile, authorities arraigned Silas Iduh Oloche from Agatu LGA, Benue, on six counts of unlawfully possessing 18 grenades and 683 rounds of 7.62mm ammunition; he was apprehended on August 2, 2025.
According to the DSS, Oloche’s prosecution falls under sections 3, 8, and 27 of the Firearms Act.
The DSS emphasized that these ongoing prosecutions underscore its firm commitment to identifying and dismantling the criminal networks stoking violence in Nigeria’s Middle Belt.
This latest wave of legal action follows President Bola Tinubu’s explicit instruction to Nigeria’s security bodies to investigate and prosecute those responsible for the attacks in Benue and Plateau States.
