Judge gives verdict in case of five suspects in Owo church attack

Judge Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja is giving his judgement in the case of five people connected to the 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. Reports say about 40 people died and over 100 were injured during the attack on a Sunday mass at the church.

Mr Nwite started reading his written judgement around 9:18 a.m. He speaks clearly and loudly. He often raises his head sharply while reading to a full courtroom.

The five defendants on trial for the 5 June 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 and watch the judge as the proceedings continue. The oldest among them is dressed in a white gown and a white soft rounded cap. He folds his arms across his chest and stays quiet.

At times, some of the defendants look towards the audience in the courtroom, almost as if asking for help, before turning their eyes back to the judge as the judgement goes on. They have now taken their seats after standing for a long time.

Lawyers for both the prosecution and the defence sit quietly and follow the proceedings.

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

He mentioned that 11 witnesses testified in the case, identified as SSSA to SSK. He also reviewed the exhibits and documents admitted as evidence in court.

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

At one point, he said he was informed that two of the defendants needed to relieve themselves. He paused the judgement to let them go. At about 10:43 a.m., the judge also left the courtroom briefly.

He returned at 10:45 a.m. and continued reading the judgement.

As of the time this report was filed, he is still reading the judgement.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Judge Nwite reserved his judgement on 26 May after both sides presented their final arguments.

The court then set Wednesday for the judgement and informed the involved parties.

During the final address, the prosecution lawyer, Ayodeji Adedipe, asked 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 defence lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammad, requested the court to free his clients, claiming the prosecution did not prove its case against them.

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

This attack comes at a time when insecurity is worsening in different parts of the country. For more than ten years, the northeastern area has faced insurgency. Splinter groups of terrorists are believed to have spread to the Northwest and North-central regions, where armed criminals, often called bandits, also operate and kidnap for ransom.

Kogi State in the North-central region borders Ondo State in the Southwest, where the June 2022 massacre happened. Observers think this attack shows the gradual spread of terrorist activities into southern Nigeria.