RismadarVoice Reporters, May 26, 2026
The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Tuesday reserved judgment in the trial of five men accused of involvement in the June 5, 2022, terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which left 41 worshippers dead and over 140 others injured.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed judgment for a date to be communicated to the parties after counsel to the prosecution and defence adopted their final written addresses.
The judge informed lawyers that the court would notify them once the judgment was ready, adding that the notice could come within 24 hours.
During his final address, counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, urged the court to convict the defendants and impose the maximum sentence of death, citing the gravity of the offence allegedly committed.
Adedipe argued that the prosecution had successfully established its case through evidence and witness testimonies presented during the trial.
However, counsel to the defendants, Abdullahi Mohammad, prayed the court to discharge and acquit his clients, contending that the prosecution failed to prove the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt.
The defendants standing trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
The DSS had called 11 witnesses during the trial, which commenced on August 1, 2025, to substantiate the allegations against the accused persons.
The court had earlier admitted the confessional statements of the defendants after conducting a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were voluntarily made.
The attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, occurred during a Sunday service on June 5, 2022, and remains one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria in recent years.
