By Camillus Eboh
ABUJA, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Nigerian prosecutors filed 57 terrorism-related charges on Monday against nine men accused of carrying out a deadly attack on Yelwata community in Nigeria's central Benue state in June 2025 that killed about 150 people.
Benue sits in Nigeria's volatile Middle Belt, the fault line between the Muslim north and Christian south. Years of violence over land, religion, and ethnicity have proved hard for the authorities to rein in.
The charges, filed at the Federal High Court in Abuja, say the defendants held planning meetings, raised funds, procured weapons, and mobilised fighters across several states ahead of the June 13 attack, one of the deadliest rural assaults in years.
The filing says 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.
Plagued by Islamist attacks and mass kidnappings, Nigeria is under pressure to restore security since U.S. President Donald Trump accused it last year of failing to protect Christians. U.S. forces struck what they described as terrorist targets on December 25. The Nigerian authorities say they are cooperating with Washington to improve security.
(Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo, Editing by William Maclean)
