The Federal Government is set to arraign five men accused of carrying out the deadly attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, which left numerous worshippers dead.
The suspects — identified as Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — were brought into the courtroom at about 9:05 a.m. under tight security by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). They will appear before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Federal Government. The nine-count charge, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, was filed and signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice.
The prosecution alleges that the defendants, along with others still at large, became members of the Al-Shabab terrorist group in 2021 and operated a terror cell in Kogi State. This act is said to violate Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
In another count, the suspects are accused of holding meetings on May 30, June 3, and June 4, 2022, at different locations — including Government Secondary School, Ogamirana in Adavi LGA, Kogi State, and behind Omialafa Central Mosque in Ose LGA, Ondo State — where they allegedly planned the Owo church massacre. The offence is punishable under Section 12(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
As at the time of this report, formal arraignment of the suspects had yet to commence.
