Yelwata Massacre Trial Stalls Over Absence of Counsel for Two Defendants

Proceedings in the trial of nine suspects charged over the June 13, 2025 Yelwata attack were stalled on Thursday due to the absence of legal representation for the 7th and 8th defendants.

At the commencement of the hearing, counsel for the prosecution and other defendants announced their appearances. However, the court observed that the 7th and 8th defendants were without legal representation.

Trial judge, Joyce Abdulmalik, drew attention to the development and questioned the two defendants. They informed the court that they were being represented by counsel to the 1st defendant, Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Ibrahim Angulu.

Justice Abdulmalik then sought clarification from Angulu, who had earlier indicated that the two defendants had debriefed him from handling their defence.

The senior lawyer told the court he was surprised by the claim, explaining that he had received a message purportedly disengaging him from representing the 7th and 8th defendants.

Although the court acknowledged that Angulu had formally applied to withdraw from the case, Justice Abdulmalik held that the court retains the discretion to refuse such an application in the interest of justice and fair hearing.

When asked directly whether they had sent any message relieving the senior advocate of his brief, both defendants denied doing so.

Following the clarification, the judge declined Angulu’s application to withdraw from the matter and directed him to continue representing the 7th and 8th defendants to ensure the smooth progression of the trial.

The court also ordered the Nigerian Correctional Service to grant the senior lawyer access to the two defendants to enable adequate legal consultation.

The matter was adjourned to March 4 for continuation of trial and hearing of other pending applications.