Olayiwola Matthew
A Plateau State High Court on Thursday remanded four suspects in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) over the March 28, 2026 killings in Angwan Rukuba, Jos North Local Government Area.
The arraignment could not proceed due to the absence of defence counsel.
The court however adjourned the matter till April 30, 2026.
The suspects, Isa Umar Ibrahim; Auwalu Abubakar; Musa Abubakar Ibrahim; and one other, were arrested by the DSS between April 3 and April 10, 2026.
They are facing charges bordering on criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism and other related offences filed by the Plateau State Government.
The charge, signed by the State Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, Philemon Daffi, alleged that the suspects “conspired amongst themselves to commit offences relating to terrorism when they planned, organised, facilitated, aided and contributed money to carry out the attack in Angwan Rukuba, which led to the death of over 30 persons.”
The offences are said to be contrary to Section 269 and punishable under Section 270 of the Penal Code Law of Plateau State, 2017.
When the matter came up before Gidelia Damulak Fomyong in Court 12 in Jos, the suspects, speaking through an interpreter, requested an adjournment to enable them engage counsel of their choice.
Prosecution counsel and Solicitor-General of Plateau State, Joel Tagven, did not oppose the request but urged the court to remand the suspects in DSS custody to allow easy access and continuation of investigations.
The judge granted the request and adjourned the matter till April 30, 2026, for arraignment. The suspects were subsequently taken away in a bus to the DSS facility.
Speaking with journalists after the proceedings, the solicitor-general commended President Bola Tinubu for creating an enabling environment for the prosecution of the suspects in the state.
He cited four reasons for appreciating the president: the directive that led to the arrest of the suspects by the DSS; the decision to prosecute them within Plateau State rather than in Abuja, as was previously the case; the approval of security equipment such as CCTV cameras; and the collaboration that enabled the state to handle the prosecution locally.
The March 28 attack on communities in Bokkos and Bassa Local Government Areas, including Angwan Rukuba in Jos North, left no fewer than 30 people, including children, dead.
Governor Caleb Mutfwang had condemned the killings, describing them as genocide rather than a farmer-herder clash, and vowed that “life must go on” and that violence on the Plateau would end.
President Tinubu, who visited the state, also assured victims that justice would be served and urged residents to remain vigilant.
