Weeks after the Federal High Court in Abuja began the trial of suspected members of Fulani and Idoma militias linked to ethic killings in Benue State, the same court on Monday, admitted in evidence a report of the Department of State Services (DSS) on how certain Agatu leaders in Benue State allegedly stockpiled grenades and ammunition for planned retaliatory attacks on Fulani cattle herders.
On Tuesday 31st March, Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, Ardo Muhammadu Saidu, Alhaji Haruna Abdullahi, and Yakubu Adamu, were among the nine members of a suspected Fulani militia arraigned on 57-counts of terrorism and causing the massacre of over 100 persons in Yelwata, Guma LGA of the state.
On Monday, however, aside the DSS report, the court also admitted in evidence, grenades and a cache ammunition, as well as an audio-visual recording of the interrogation of one of the suspects.
The suspect, Silas Oloche, identified as an Agatu youth leader, is facing a 6-count charge bordering on alleged unlawful possession of firearms and ammunition.
At the beginning of proceedings, a DSS operative who testified as the prosecution’s first witness, told the court that Oloche was arrested on August 2, 2025, in Ogbasi, Agatu LGA, allegedly in possession of 18 hand grenades, 683 rounds of 7.62 x 39mm ammunition, 62 rounds of 7.62 x 51 mm ammunition, and 136 live rounds of shotgun ammunition.
The witness, of the DSS Security Investigation Department, said the defendant was subsequently transferred from the Benue state command to the Service’s National Headquarters in Abuja for further investigation.
According to the witness codenamed XX, Oloche was interviewed in the presence of a Legal Aid Council, and allegedly confessed to purchasing the ammunition from a man identified as “Chocho” for over N2 million.
The operative further told the court that the defendant volunteered a written statement and consented to him writing on his behalf because he could not write.
During the open-court playback of the video recording of the defendant’s extra-judicial statement, the defendant alleged years of violent attacks on Agatu communities by Fulani herders.
In the video, Oloche identified himself as the youth leader of Agatu and said the crisis dated back to 2013, arising from repeated attacks on farmlands and communities, allegedly by Fulani cattle herders.
He recounted a series of meetings allegedly involving government officials, traditional rulers, security agencies, and representatives of Fulani communities in Kogi, Benue, and Nasarawa states, aimed at resolving the conflict.
According to him, several agreements were reached for the herders to vacate occupied farmlands in Agatu villages,, but that they repeatedly breached the agreements, while their cattle continued to destroy crops in Agatu villages.
The defendant in the video, stated that frustration mounted in Agatu communities following what he described as repeated attacks and lack of government intervention.
He told the investigator in the video that he led the move to raise funds to buy ammunition after allegedly receiving information that Fulani groups were preparing for another round of attacks.
Oloche admitted obtaining several rounds of ammunition and keeping it in his house, but added that they were on the verge of acquiring guns before their arrest by DSS operatives.
He further stated that Agatu communities planned to retaliate against attacks by Fulanis herders, but were hampered by insufficient ammunition and firearms.
According to him, displaced villagers and grieving families, after retrieving bodies from attacked communities, raised money for him to buy arms.
At the end of playing back the video recording, the prosecution tendered the defendant’s extra-judicial statement.
However, defence counsel Noah Imoni objected to its admissibility, arguing that the statement was not voluntarily obtained.
In response, the prosecution urged the court to conduct a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statement was voluntarily made or not.
The trial judge subsequently ordered a trial-within-trial, and reserved ruling on the bail variation application to a date to be communicated later.
The court adjourned to July 8 for commencement of trial-within-trial and continuation of trial.