Judge Gives Ruling on Owo Church Attack Case

Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja is currently giving his ruling in the trial of five people linked to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. About 40 people died and over 100 others were injured in the attack that happened during Sunday mass at the church.

Mr. Nwite started reading his written judgement at around 9:18 a.m. He speaks clearly and loudly. He sometimes looks up sharply as he reads to a crowded courtroom.

The five defendants in the trial over the June 5, 2022 attack on the church in Owo are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; Abdulhaleem Idris, 25; and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47.

They stand in the dock, watching the judge as the trial goes on. The oldest among them wears a white gown and a soft white cap. He folds his arms and stays still.

At times, some of the defendants look toward the audience in the courtroom, as if asking for help, before turning back to the judge as the judgement continues. They now sit down after standing for a long time.

The lawyers for both the prosecution and defense sit quietly, following the proceedings.

The judge began the judgement by reading the nine amended counts against the five defendants.

He mentioned that 11 prosecution witnesses testified in this case, known as SSSA to SSK. He also went through the exhibits and documents that were admitted as evidence in court.

At 10:38 a.m., Judge Nwite discussed the testimonies of the witnesses presented during the trial.

At one point, he said he received word that two of the defendants needed to use the restroom. He paused the judgement to let them go. At about 10:43 a.m., the judge also stepped out of the courtroom.

He came back at 10:45 a.m., and the judgement continued.

He is still reading the judgement as of the time of this report.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Mr. Nwite reserved judgement on May 26 after the lawyers for both sides made their final submissions.

The court later set Wednesday for the judgement and informed both parties.

During the final address, the prosecution lawyer, Ayodeji Adedipe, urged the court to convict the defendants and give them the maximum punishment of death due to the seriousness of the alleged crime.

On the other hand, the defense lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammad, asked the court to free his clients. He argued that the prosecution did not prove its case against them.

On June 5, 2022, gunmen attacked St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, during Pentecost Mass, killing over 40 worshippers and injuring more than 100 others.

The attack comes amid increasing insecurity in different parts of the country. For over ten years, the northeastern region has faced insurgency. Groups of terrorists and their cells are believed to have spread to the northwest and north-central regions, where armed criminals, often called bandits, also operate.

Kogi State in the north-central region borders Ondo State in the southwest, where the June 2022 attack occurred. Observers see this attack as a sign that terrorist activities are spreading to the south.