The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Monday accepted a compact disc containing video recordings of statements made by defendants facing trial over alleged killings in Benue State.

The prosecution counsel, Mariam Okorie, presented the disc before the court, noting that all defendants had already been served with the material. With no objection from the defence team, the presiding judge admitted the disc into evidence and labelled it Exhibit TWT1.

The court proceeded to play the recordings in open session. In one of the videos, a prosecution witness, Paul Moses, explained that the footage documented the arrest of the defendants in Benue, their transfer to the Intelligence Response Team, and the process of taking their statements in the presence of legal representatives and family members.

One segment featured the third defendant, Haruna Abdullahi, responding to questions from an investigating officer. In the recording, Abdullahi confirmed his personal details, stating that he has four wives and 15 children.

He also recounted losing about 100 cows and two children, claiming that other Fulani herders experienced similar losses around May of the previous year. According to him, an Ardo later organised a meeting which he attended due to the impact of the losses.

Abdullahi disclosed that he contributed N300,000 at the meeting, describing it as part of efforts aimed at retaliation. He further revealed that he had previously owned an AK-47 rifle but had since sold it.

In another part of the recording, he alleged that large numbers of cattle and rams belonging to him and others were killed, accusing Tiv youths of being responsible. He said the situation forced many herders to flee and led to several meetings among community leaders.

He admitted participating in one of those meetings and making a financial contribution, while also stating that the government did not respond adequately to their concerns.

In a separate clip, Abdullahi said he was instructed, along with others, to contribute N300,000 following directives from an Ardo after widespread livestock losses. However, he maintained that he did not know whether the funds were eventually used to finance any attack.

During the playback, counsel to the third defendant, Ahmed Muhammad, challenged the accuracy of the Hausa-to-English interpretation, arguing that it was flawed. In response, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik asked whether the defence intended to request the interpreter’s removal. The defence confirmed this, prompting the judge to discharge the interpreter and order the prosecution to provide a replacement before the next hearing.

The trial had earlier been disrupted at the previous sitting when Abdullahi suddenly collapsed shortly after entering the courtroom. Despite efforts by court officials and prison warders to revive him, he remained unresponsive and was assisted back to his seat.

Additionally, after the first prosecution witness testified, the prosecution attempted to tender the defendants’ statements, but the defence objected. This led the court to order a trial-within-trial to determine the admissibility of the statements.

Proceedings were further delayed when the prosecution revealed that the device containing the recorded confessional statements had become corrupted, drawing concern from the court over repeated setbacks.