The Federal High Court in Abuja has scheduled the commencement of trial for five men accused of orchestrating the deadly bombing of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The Department of State Services (DSS) had, on August 11, 2025, brought the accused before Justice Emeka Nwite on allegations linked to the June 5, 2022 attack that left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others wounded.
The defendants — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — face nine-count charges bordering on terrorism. Each of them pleaded not guilty during arraignment.
According to the DSS, the men are alleged members of the Al Shabab terrorist network with a base in Kogi State, and the Owo massacre was carried out as part of their extremist ideology.
Court documents further claim the group maintained a “cell in Kogi and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
The security agency also alleged that the suspects convened planning meetings at Government Secondary School, Ogamirana in Adavi LGA, Kogi State, and later at a location behind Omialafa Central Mosque in Ose LGA, Ondo, before executing the assault in June 2022.
