At the court, Solicitor General of Plateau State, Joel Tagven, requested that the defendants should be remanded in the Department of State Security (DSS) custody for them to continue their investigation. “The proceedings for today ought to have been the taking of the plea of the defendants, but could not hold due to the fact that they were not represented by counsel,” he said. Arrested suspects are innocent – Families, traders Relatives and business associates of four suspects arrested by the Department of State Services over the March 28 killings in Angwan Rukuba have denied their involvement, describing the allegations as false and damaging.

The suspects—Isa Umar Ibrahim, Auwalu Abubakar, Musa Abubakar Ibrahim, and Adamu Isa Alhassan—were arrested between April 3 and 10, 2026, and charged with criminal conspiracy to commit terrorism under the Plateau State Penal Code. However, at a press conference in Jos, relatives maintained that the accused are traders who conduct their daily business at Farin Gada Market and have no links to the attack. Mika’ilu Muhammad, speaking on behalf of Musa Abubakar Ibrahim, said DSS operatives searched his brother’s home thoroughly but found no weapons or incriminating evidence.

Similarly, Abubakar Umar Ibrahim, younger brother of Adamu Isa Alhassan, said his sibling was arrested at the market and later taken home, where property was damaged during a search that yielded nothing. Jamilu Musa, a relative of Auwalu Abubakar, also said security operatives found no evidence during a search of his house and denied the family access to him after his arrest. Adding weight to the claims, Ibrahim Baffa, Deputy Chairman of the cabbage section at Farin Gada Market, described the suspects as long-standing members known for peaceful conduct. He further claimed that one of the suspects helped rescue eight Christian women during the crisis and handed them over to soldiers.