The Federal Government is preparing to arraign five individuals accused of carrying out the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, where many worshippers lost their lives.
The suspects are to appear before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court in Abuja.
Escorted into the courtroom at about 9:05 a.m. by operatives of the Department of State Services, the defendants are identified as Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
According to the News Agency of Nigeria, the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Federal Government.
In the charge sheet marked FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, the AGF brought nine counts against the accused. The document, filed and signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alleged that the defendants, along with others still at large, “sometime in 2021, joined and became members of AL Shabab Terrorist Group.” They were said to have maintained their “cell in Kogi and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 25(1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
In the second count, the defendants were accused of meeting on May 30, 2022; June 3, 2022; and June 4, 2022, at Government Secondary School, Ogamirana, Adavi LGA, Kogi State, and behind Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose LGA, Ondo State, where they allegedly agreed and planned the terrorist attack carried out on June 5, 2022, at the Owo church.
The alleged offence is said to contravene and be punishable under Section 12(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
At the time of this report, their formal arraignment had yet to take place.
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