A prosecution witness in the trial-within-trial involving nine persons accused of participating in the June 13, 2025 attack in Yelwata, Benue State, has informed the Federal High Court in Abuja that the defendants willingly made their confessional statements to investigators.
The witness, Chief Superintendent of Police Moses Paul, who leads a team in the Intelligence Response Team (IRT) of the Nigerian Police Force, testified that none of the suspects was forced or intimidated into making statements.
According to him, each defendant gave their account in the presence of legal counsel and a family member, and the process took place in what he described as a conducive environment.
Paul further explained that before their statements were formally taken, the suspects were taken before the Commissioner of Police overseeing the IRT, where they made verbal confessions that were recorded through audio and video equipment.
The witness also told the court that interpreters and a police officer acting as a writer were provided for suspects who could not read or write, ensuring their statements were properly documented.
He noted that after the statements were written, they were read back to the defendants, who confirmed that the contents accurately reflected their accounts.
Addressing claims by the first defendant’s lawyer that his client suffered a partial stroke due to alleged police mistreatment, the witness stated that the medical incident was unrelated to interrogation.
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He told the court that the defendant had been involved in a confrontation with another detainee while in custody at the Criminal Investigation Department of the Nigerian Police in Benue State.
Paul said the defendant later developed a medical emergency while in detention and collapsed, prompting his transfer to a hospital, where medical personnel discovered that he had an existing health condition, which resulted in the partial stroke.
During proceedings, the witness also revealed that the storage devices containing video recordings of the confessional statements had become corrupted, as a result, the prosecution requested additional time to retrieve and present the footage, as well as serve it on defence counsel.
The trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik, while ruling on the request, cautioned the prosecution against actions capable of slowing down the proceedings, noting that defence lawyers were prepared to proceed with cross-examination.
The court, then fixed March 24, 2026, for the continuation of the trial-within-trial.
(Editor: Ebuwa Omo-Osagie)
