Massacre Trial Continues as Plateau Govt Rejects Defendant’s Application

The Plateau State Government has opposed a request by one of the four men arrested by the Department of State Services (DSS) over the Angwa Rukuba massacre, insisting that the application for medical treatment is an attempt to delay the trial.

The suspects are facing terrorism-related charges in connection with the late March/early April 2026 attack that claimed the lives of about 30 people in Jos North Local Government Area.
At the resumed hearing before Justice Gedeliah Fwomyon of the Plateau State High Court in Jos on Thursday, counsel to the third defendant, M.I. Salihu, urged the court to direct the prosecution to allow his client to receive treatment at the Jos University Teaching Hospital (JUTH).
In response, the Plateau State Director of Civil Litigation, Sabo Longji, filed a counter-affidavit, asking the court to dismiss the application in the interest of justice for the victims of the massacre.
Longji argued that the motion was merely a tactic intended to delay the accelerated terrorism trial.
Justice Fwomyon described the application as contentious and reserved ruling on the matter. He directed counsel to provide their telephone numbers for communication on the ruling date and adjourned the case until July 15, 2026.
It will be recalled that on Palm Sunday in 2026, gunmen attacked Angwa Rukuba, killing about 30 residents. Days after the incident, the DSS arrested four suspects: Adamu Isa Alhassan, Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar, also known as Auwalu Dogo, and Musa Abubakar Ibrahim, also known as Yaroro.
The Plateau State Government subsequently charged the four suspects, alongside Ado Ibrahim, who is currently at large, with terrorism-related offences