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.