The Federal High Court in Abuja has reserved judgment in the trial of five men accused of involvement in the June 5, 2022 terror attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The accused persons Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Abubakar, are facing a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed no specific date for the judgment but said parties involved would be informed once it is ready.
“The court will communicate the judgment date to all parties,” Justice Nwite said, noting that notification could come within 24 hours.
The development followed the adoption of final written addresses by lawyers representing both the prosecution and defence.
During final arguments, counsel to the DSS, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), urged the court to find the defendants guilty and impose the maximum punishment prescribed by law due to the severity of the alleged offences.
“The nature of the crime warrants the highest sentence available under the law,” the prosecution argued.
However, defence counsel, Abdullahi Mohammad, asked the court to acquit his clients, insisting that the prosecution failed to sufficiently establish the allegations against them.
“The prosecution has not proven its case beyond reasonable doubt, and we urge the court to discharge and acquit the defendants,” Mohammad submitted.
The attack on the Catholic church in Owo reportedly claimed the lives of 41 worshippers and left more than 140 others injured, making it one of the deadliest attacks in recent Nigerian history.
Court records showed that the DSS presented 11 witnesses during the trial, which commenced on August 1, 2025, to support its case against the defendants.
The suspects were arrested in August 2022 in separate operations carried out in Kogi and Ondo states.
The court had earlier admitted confessional statements made by the defendants after conducting a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were obtained voluntarily.
One of the charges alleged that the defendants, alongside others still at large, detonated Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) inside the church with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm to worshippers, contrary to provisions of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
