Court to rule on five accused in Owo church attack case

The Federal High Court in Abuja will decide the fate of five people accused of the 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. The attack reportedly killed about 40 people and injured over 100 others.

The five accused in the trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; Abdulhaleem Idris, 25; and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47.

The judge, Emeka Nwite, is expected to deliver the judgment by 9:15 a.m. All five defendants are present in court today.

PREMIUM TIMES reported that on May 26, Judge Nwite reserved judgment after both prosecution and defense lawyers presented their final written addresses. The court set today for the ruling and informed both parties.

Ayodeji Adedipe, the prosecution lawyer, asked the court to convict the defendants and give them the maximum penalty of death, saying the crime was very serious. On the other hand, defense lawyer Abdullahi Mohammad requested the court to set his clients free, arguing that the prosecution did not prove its case against them.

The attack took place during a Pentecost Sunday Mass at St. Francis Catholic Church. Gunmen reportedly shot worshippers and set off explosives inside and around the church, killing at least 41 people and injuring more than 140. The incident caused outrage and condemnation both locally and internationally.

The five accused were brought to the Federal High Court in Abuja in August last year on terrorism charges by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. Prosecutors said the suspects were part of an Al Shabaab cell in Kogi State and that they planned the deadly church attack as part of their violent agenda. The defendants pleaded not guilty.

In September, Judge Nwite rejected the defendants' bail request, saying it had no merit. He stated that bail could not be granted due to the seriousness of the charges and the strength of the prosecution's case. He also mentioned that the defendants might interfere with witnesses if released before the trial ended.

After the arraignment, the prosecution asked for a fast-tracked hearing, which the court approved. The trial officially began in December 2025. The first witness called was a Catholic priest who conducted the Mass when the attack happened. Many witnesses testified under a court-approved protection plan, using coded identities.

Survivors, church members, Amotekun operatives, and SSS investigators testified in court over several months. Some witnesses described how the attackers entered the church and shot at worshippers trying to escape. Others talked about the aftermath and the efforts to find the suspects.

One prosecution witness identified two defendants in court as attackers he saw during the shooting. Another witness, who was in a wheelchair, said she lost both legs and one eye due to the explosives that went off during the attack.

The prosecution finished its case after calling 11 witnesses. The last witness, an SSS digital forensic expert known as SSK, explained how investigators used phone tracking, geospatial analysis, and cell tower triangulation to find and arrest the suspects.

During the trial, the defense challenged the admissibility of the defendants' confessional statements, claiming they were obtained under torture. Judge Nwite accepted the statements as evidence after ruling on the objections.

Later, the defense presented its case, asking the court to dismiss the prosecution's evidence and free the defendants. Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, the first defendant, testified on March 4. He denied any involvement in the church attack, explaining that SSS operatives arrested him at home in Kogi State on August 1, 2022, and took him to Ondo State, where they pressured him to confess.

He said, "They asked me to tell the truth, but I said I had nothing to tell them." Mr. Omeiza accused the operatives of chaining and beating him until he fainted, forcing him to sign statements that he claimed were not voluntary.

Also on March 26, Jamiu Abdulmalik denied being part of the church attack. He testified that he was arrested by SSS operatives in 2022 while traveling from Ondo State to Kogi State. He claimed he was tortured in custody and forced to sign statements linking him to the attack, insisting he had no connection to it.

Throughout the defense, Mr. Mohammad argued that the confessional statements should not be trusted since the defendants claimed they were obtained through torture and force.

On June 5, 2022, gunmen attacked St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, during Pentecost Mass. They killed over 40 worshippers and injured more than 100. This attack happened amidst increasing insecurity in Nigeria.

For over ten years, the northeast part of Nigeria has faced insurgency. Offshoot groups of these terrorists have spread to the northwest and north-central regions, where armed criminals, known as bandits, operate and kidnap for ransom. Kogi State, in the north-central region, borders Ondo State, where the June 2022 attack occurred. Many observers see this as a sign that terrorist activities are spreading southward.