FG arraigns five over 2022 attack on Owo Catholic Church

•Court remands defendants in DSS custody, adjourns till August 19 for trial

The Federal Government on Monday arraigned five men before a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

The five arraigned before the court are: Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.

It will be recalled that over 40 people were said to have died in the attack while over 100 individuals sustained injuries.

The five defendants were arraigned on a nine-count terrorism charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025 filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).

In the charge, they were accused, among others, of being members of Al Shabab terrorist group, with cell in Kogi State.

The defendants are also alleged to have carried out the attack in furtherance of their religious ideology.

They pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read out to them by an official of the court.

Following their not guilty plea, prosecuting counsel, Calistus Eze, urged the court to order that the defendants be remanded in the custody of  DSS pending trial.

Defence counsel, Abdullahi Muhammad, however, prayed the court to order DSS to allow members of the defendants’ families and their lawyers to have access to them.

Muhammad said the defendants have been in custody since 2022 when they were arrested and have not had access to family members and lawyers.

Eze said it was the standard practice that detainees’ family members and lawyers should be granted access after a formal written request.

He noted that it has become inevitable at this stage that the defendants be allowed access to their lawyers to enable them to prepare their defence.

In his ruling, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered that the defendants be remanded in the custody of DSS and also ordered that the DSS grant the defendants access to members of their families and their lawyers.

He then adjourned till August 19 for the commencement of trial.

Some counts in the charge read: “That you, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, adults, males, with others still at large, sometime in 2021, did join and became members of AL Shabab Terrorist Group, with cell in Kogi State and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 25(1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

“That you, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, adults, males, with others still at large, on May 30, 2022 and June 4 2022, at Government Secondary School, Ogaminana, Adavi Local Government Area, Kogi State and behind Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose Local Government Area, Ondo State, respectively, attended and held meetings, where you agreed to and planned for the terrorist attack, which you carried out on June 5, 2022, at St. Francs Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 12(a) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

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