Nearly three years after the tragic attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, the trial of five men accused of orchestrating the deadly bombing has officially begun.
On Monday, the defendants — Idris Omeiza, Al-Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdul Malik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Abubakar — appeared before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, where they pleaded not guilty to a nine-count charge of terrorism.
According to the prosecution, the accused are alleged members of the Al-Shabab terrorist group and are believed to have operated a terror cell in Kogi State. They face charges that also connect them to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which Nigeria’s National Security Council had previously linked to the Owo bombing.
Justice Nwite ordered that the defendants remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) pending the start of the trial, which he scheduled for August 19, 2025.
The case stems from the incidents of June 2022, when armed assailants stormed the Saint Francis Catholic Church during Sunday mass, detonating explosives and opening fire on worshippers. The brutal attack claimed the lives of over 40 people and left many others with life-altering injuries. At the time, the late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, described the massacre as “a crime against humanity.”
Akeredolu, who was a vocal advocate for enhanced regional security, had reiterated the urgent need for state police in the aftermath of the tragedy.
“A single police command cannot guarantee safety in this country,” he declared. “We must have state police now. We are doing our best with Amotekun, but Amotekun is suffering a lot of limitations in getting all the equipment needed to fight these criminals.”
The arraignment follows the 2022 announcement by then Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, confirming that security forces had arrested the suspected masterminds of the Owo massacre after months of intelligence operations.
The trial is expected to attract significant public and media attention, as Nigerians watch closely for justice in one of the country’s most shocking acts of terrorism in recent years.