A Makurdi magistrate’s court has ordered the remand of six suspects facing charges ranging from criminal conspiracy and illegal possession of firearms to culpable homicide and terrorism.

A Chief Magistrate’s Court sitting in Makurdi, Benue State, has remanded six suspects in connection with two separate criminal cases, including an investigation into the killing of four police officers and several residents in Ayilamo community, Logo Local Government Area.

The suspects were brought before the court by the Department of State Services (DSS). Three of them are accused of involvement in the September 10, 2026, attack on Ayilamo, during which four police officers and civilians were killed.

According to the First Information Report presented by the DSS, the three suspects allegedly acted alongside 25 other individuals who are still at large. The report accused them of conspiring to commit a felony and attacking residents with firearms, including AK-47 rifles and locally made pistols.

The four police officers identified in the court document were ASP Paul Inah, Inspector Mohammed Yusuf, Inspector Oge Okechukwu and Inspector Andrew Edeh. The DSS urged the court to consider the allegations against the suspects as part of the ongoing investigation into the attack.

The other three defendants were arraigned over an alleged attempt to transport six pistols concealed in a sack of garri through Benue Links Transport Company on September 25. The weapons were allegedly intended for delivery to an individual identified in the court report as Emmanuel I’m Warri. The DSS said the suspects’ arrest followed intelligence gathered after a gunshot-injury victim was reported at a hospital in Awe, Nasarawa State.

Presiding Chief Magistrate Regina Alashi ordered the remand of the six defendants and adjourned the cases until January 11, 2027, for further mention. No pleas were taken because the court lacked jurisdiction to hear the charges. The magistrate also directed defence counsel to file an appropriate bail application.

Counsel to the fourth defendant told journalists that the defence intended to pursue the bail process while preparing its response to the allegations. The cases remain before the court, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction.