Herdsmen Responsible for Christian Massacre Put on Trial

This February, nine Fulani herdsmen went on trial for their role in organizing the June 2025 Benue massacre, which killed more than 270 Christians. The judge of the Federal High Court in Abuja brought 57 counts against them.

The leader of the group, Ardo Lawal Mohammed Dono, and eight other Fulani tribal leaders — each reportedly linked to the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria — pleaded “not guilty” to the charges, which were read and interpreted to them on Feb. 2. Each member, predominantly Muslim, was accused of multiple accounts of terrorism, including financing, recruiting, and directly engaging in the assault.

According to Premium Times, Dono was charged with attempting to commit terrorism and recruiting men to join the attack. His actions violated several sections of the Terrorism Prevention and Prohibition Act (2022).

Frank Utoo, a U.S.-based Nigerian lawyer, told TruthNigeria that Ardo holds a leadership position within the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, an advocacy and interest group representing Fulani herdsmen.

“He lives in Lafia, the capital of Nasarawa state, and he was the leader of Miyetti Allah in Nasarawa state at the time,” Utoo said. “On two occasions, as part of a peace delegation from the Benue state government, I met with Ardo Mohammed Lawal Dono — in May 2020 and again in 2021. It was clear that he was the mastermind of the genocide against the Benue people.”

According to Utoo, Dono was responsible for the killings in Benue state in 2023. Dono stated that the killing of the Benue people was only a conflict between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

“When we pleaded with him and his group to stop the killing of Benue people, he said the killings could not be stopped,” Utoo said. “They would say: ‘Our cattle were killed, and Fulanis were stopped from grazing in Benue.’”

The Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria is accused of financing attacks on predominantly Christian villages, but denied any involvement in the June attacks. However, a member of the Nigerian Police Force’s Intelligence Response Team testified that several of the accused, allegedly acting as part of Miyetti Allah’s network, organized and attended meetings in Nasarawa state to raise funds and recruit armed forces.

One of the charged, Haruna Abdullahi, backed up this claim by confessing that he attended the meetings allegedly held at Dono’s house.

Last Wednesday, the court was stalled for the second time in this trial. The lawyer for the eighth and ninth defendants requested more time to review the case file.

Story by Bella Agnello

The post Herdsmen Responsible for Christian Massacre Put on Trial first appeared on International Christian Concern.