Dare Babalola
Five suspects have been dragged before a Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, in which over 40 worshippers died.
The suspects, identified as, Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar were brought before the court on Monday by the Federal Government on a nine-count terrorism charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025 filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
They were arraigned before Emeka Nwite, a judge, on a nine-count charge filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation.
The suspects and others who are at large were alleged to have sometime in 2021, joined the AL Shabaab Terrorist Group.
They were alleged to have their “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 federal government alleged that the suspects held meetings at the Government Secondary School, Ogamirana, Adavi LGA in Kogi, and behind Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose LGA, Ondo in 2022, and planned the attack, which they carried out in June of the same year.
The defendants were also accused to have carried out the attack in furtherance of their religious ideology
They pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them by an official of the court.
