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Tight Security as Abuja Court Set to Deliver Judgment in Owo Catholic Church Terror Attack
Prosecutors said the men belonged to an al-Shabab cell and used IEDs and rifles in an attack that killed more than 40 worshippers.
On Wednesday, Judge Emeka Nwite began delivering judgment at the Federal High Court in Abuja for five men accused of the June 5, 2022 terror attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
Gunmen stormed the church during Pentecost Mass on June 5, 2022, armed with IEDs and AK-47 rifles, killing over 40 worshippers and injuring over 100 others, the DSS alleged in nine-count terrorism charges.
The five defendants—Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar—denied complicity; prosecution lawyer Ayodeji Adedipe urged the court to impose the death penalty.
Eleven prosecution witnesses testified during trial, while defense lawyer Abdullahi Mohammad requested acquittal, arguing the prosecution failed to prove its case against his clients.
Observers view the massacre, occurring amid worsening national insecurity, as a sign of terrorist activities spreading from the North into the South-west region, reflecting the gravity of the charges.