A Plateau State High Court in Jos has scheduled July 1 and 2, 2026, for a definitive hearing in the terrorism case linked to the Angwan Rukuba killings. The four defendants—Isa Umar Ibrahim, Adamu Isa Alhassan, Auwalu Abubakar, and Musa Abubakar Ibrahim—are accused of terrorism and committing acts of terrorism. The case was before Justice Gidelia Fomyon of Court 9 for a Case Management Conference on Thursday, conducted under the Administration of Criminal Justice Law (ACJL) 2024 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA) 2015. Philemon Daffi, the Attorney General of Plateau State, led the prosecution team representing the people of Plateau State. Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mustapha Shaba Ibrahim represented the first and second defendants, M.M. Salihu represented the third defendant, and M.B. Abdullahi appeared for the fourth defendant. Daffi adopted the prosecution's case management form filed on May 17, 2026, and urged the court to issue its report. Defence counsels confirmed readiness and adopted their responses, filed between May 6 and May 7, 2026. The prosecution argued that jurisdictional challenges should be resolved before trial to avoid a "journey in futility," while defence lawyers requested that preliminary objections be ruled on at trial's end. Justice Fomyon adjourned the case to May 26, 2026, for the case management report and set July 1 and 2, 2026, for the substantive hearing and witness appearances.
Justice Fomyon allowed jurisdictional objections to linger unresolved while scheduling a hearing over a year away, despite the prosecution's warning of a "journey in futility." The court's decision to delay ruling on legal challenges creates uncertainty around the trial's legitimacy. Four defendants remain formally accused without resolution on whether the court can even hear the case. Nigerians named in the charges await clarity on whether justice will proceed or stall further.
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