Three years after the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, the Federal Government is set to arraign five suspected terrorists allegedly linked to the June 5, 2022 massacre that left scores of worshippers dead.
The suspects — Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — were escorted into the Federal High Court in Abuja at about 9:05am on Monday by operatives of the Department of State Services.
The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation is prosecuting the case, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, with nine counts filed against the defendants by the Director of Public Prosecutions, M.B. Abubakar.
According to the charges, the accused allegedly became members of the Al Shabab Terrorist Group in 2021, operating a cell in Kogi State. They were said to have attended meetings in Kogi and Ondo in late May and early June 2022 to plan the Owo church attack.
The offences, the government stated, are contrary to and punishable under Sections 12(a) and 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The arraignment was yet to commence as of the time of filing this report.
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