A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered that five men accused of carrying out a deadly attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, be held in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) pending trial.
Justice Emeka Nwite, sitting as a vacation judge, issued the remand order on Monday after the defendants pleaded not guilty to nine terrorism-related charges filed by the Federal Government.
The accused – Idris Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; Abdulhaleem Idris, 25; and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47 – are alleged members of the extremist group Al Shabab. Prosecutors say they plotted and executed the 5 June 2022 attack that killed more than 40 worshippers and injured over 100 others.
According to court filings, the men allegedly met in various locations in Kogi and Ondo states in the days leading up to the assault, where they planned to detonate improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and open fire on congregants.
During proceedings, government counsel Calistus Eze successfully applied for the charges to be heard during the court’s vacation period. Defence lawyer Abdullahi Muhammad did not oppose the request for remand but asked that his clients be granted access to family members and legal representatives, noting they had been in custody since 2022 without such contact.
The judge adjourned the case until 19 August for the start of the trial and directed that the DSS provide the defendants with the facilities needed to prepare their defence.
