By Ayomide Otitoju
The Federal High Court in Abuja will today begin the trial of five men accused of masterminding the June 5, 2022 bombing at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The Department of State Services (DSS) arraigned the defendants — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — before Justice Emeka Nwite on August 11, 2025. They face nine counts of terrorism-related offences.
The attack, one of the deadliest in recent years, left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured.
According to the DSS, the defendants are alleged members of the Al Shabab terrorist group operating from a cell in Kogi State. They are accused of plotting the attack in furtherance of their religious ideology and holding strategy meetings at Government Secondary School, Ogamirana in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, as well as behind Omialafa Central Mosque in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State in 2022.
All five suspects have pleaded not guilty to the charges, which the prosecution says are contrary to and punishable under Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
