The Plateau State Police Command has announced the commencement of the trial of the 22 suspects arrested in connection with the death of 13 wedding guests in Mangun community, Mangu local government area of the state.
Recall that the incident occurred on June 20, 2025, when a bus carrying passengers from Kaduna State was attacked by a mob, resulting in the deaths and injuries of several people.
Addressing newsmen at the Command’s headquarters in Jos on Thursday, the state Commissioner of Police, Emmanuel Adesina, said the police command had swiftly responded to the incident, deploying men and operational assets to the scene to ensure the arrest of the perpetrators.
He added that the Command had also concluded investigations and would be charging the suspects in court.
The CP assured the people that the Command was committed to ensuring that all those involved in the perpetration of the act were brought to justice. He called on citizens, especially the youths, to avoid taking the law into their hands and to report suspicious activities to the nearest police station or security agency.
The suspects were later arraigned in four courts before Justice Boniface Ngyon, at Court 10 of the Plateau State High Court.
When the case was called, the prosecution counsel, S.I. Ikutanwa, sought the court’s permission for the suspects to take their plea on the four-count charges. However, the defence counsel, Garba Pwol, objected to the plea application, citing that two of the 22 suspects were minors, which rendered the charges incompetent.
According to the defence counsel, the two suspects in question were 13 and 17 years old, pointing out that the law does not allow minors to be exposed to such proceedings. The defence counsel asked the court for time to file an objection.
Responding to the defence counsel’s position, the prosecuting counsel argued that since two of the suspects were below 18 years, their names should be expunged, and the remaining 20 suspects allowed to take their plea.
After hearing the arguments presented by both counsel, Justice Ngyon ruled that it was safer not to take their plea on Thursday, noting that instead, an amended plea would be taken on Friday, excluding the minors.
Justice Ngyon therefore ordered the accused persons to be remanded in police custody and adjourned the case to Friday (yestetday) to enable the prosecution to amend the charges.
