The federal government is to arraign five suspected terrorists who attacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, in Ondo State on June 5, 2022, where scores of worshippers were killed.
They will be arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The five suspects, who were escorted into the courtroom by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) at approximately 9:05 a.m., include Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
The office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) is prosecuting the case on behalf of the federal government.
The AGF, in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, preferred nine counts against the defendants.
In the charge filed and signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions in the Federal Ministry of Justice, the suspects, and others who are at large, were alleged to have, sometime in 2021, joined and became members of 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”.
In count two, they were alleged to have on May 30, 2022; June 3, 2022 and June 4, 2022, at Government Secondary School, Ogamirana, Adavi LGA in Kogi and behind Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose LGA, Ondo State, respectively, attended and held meetings, where they agreed to and planned for the terrorist attack, which they carried out on June 5, 2022, at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 12(a) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
At the time of this report, the suspects are yet to be arraigned.