Court Adjourns Angwan Rukuba Terrorism Case, Leaves Trial In Limbo

According to Ireporter Online, a High Court sitting in Jos, Plateau State, has scheduled July 1 and 2, 2026, for the definite hearing of a terrorism case connected to the Angwan Rukuba killings, in which four defendants are standing trial over allegations of terrorism and related offences.

The matter came before Justice Gidelia Fomyon of Court 9 during a Case Management Conference held in line with Order 4 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law 2024 and the Administration of Criminal Justice Act 2015. The Plateau State Attorney General, Philemon Daffi, led the prosecution team on behalf of the state, while Senior Advocate of Nigeria Mustapha Shaba Ibrahim appeared for the first and second defendants. M.M. Salihu represented the third defendant, and M.B. Abdullahi stood in for the fourth defendant.

The defendants in the case are Isa Umar Ibrahim, Adamu Isa Alhassan, Auwalu Abubakar, and Musa Abubakar Ibrahim. During proceedings, the prosecution informed the court of its readiness to proceed and adopted its case management form filed on May 17, 2026, urging the court to issue its report. Defence counsel also confirmed readiness for the conference, adopting their respective responses previously filed in May 2026.

The court noted that some defendants had filed applications challenging its jurisdiction. While defence counsel argued that the objections should be considered alongside the substantive trial, the prosecution opposed the request, insisting that jurisdictional issues be resolved first to prevent what it described as a “waste of judicial time.”

Justice Fomyon held that the case management process had been completed in accordance with the law but observed that, due to the sensitive nature of the matter and significant public interest, parties should propose suitable dates for hearing. The court subsequently adjourned to May 26, 2026, for a report on case management and fixed July 1 and 2, 2026, for the definite hearing and witness appearances.