A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed 3 June for judgment in the trial of five men accused of involvement in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left at least 41 worshippers dead and more than 140 others injured.
The defendants are being prosecuted by Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) on terrorism-related charges linked to the attack, which took place on 5 June 2022 and shocked the nation.
Justice Emeka Nwite had reserved judgment after both the prosecution and defence teams adopted their final written addresses and presented closing arguments on 26 May. The court later announced that the verdict would be delivered on Wednesday, 3 June.
The attack on St. Francis Catholic Church remains one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history. Survivors and families of victims have continued to seek justice nearly four years after the tragedy.
During the trial, the DSS called 11 witnesses in an effort to establish the allegations against the accused. The court also admitted confessional statements made by the defendants after conducting a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were voluntarily given.
The five defendants are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
In his final submission, lead prosecutor Ayodeji Adedipe urged the court to convict the defendants and impose the maximum penalty provided by law, arguing that the scale of the attack justified the highest punishment.
“The evidence before the court clearly establishes the involvement of the defendants in the attack,” the prosecution argued, urging the court to hold the accused accountable for the loss of lives and injuries suffered by worshippers.
Defence lawyer Abdullahi Mohammad, however, asked the court to discharge and acquit his clients, maintaining that the prosecution had failed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution has not sufficiently linked the defendants to the offences alleged against them,” he argued, calling on the court to dismiss the charges.
According to the charge sheet, the defendants are accused of detonating improvised explosive devices (IEDs) inside the church during a Sunday service, causing deaths and serious injuries to worshippers.
One of the charges alleges that the accused, alongside others still at large, carried out the attack with the intent to cause grievous bodily harm, in violation of Nigeria’s Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022.
The trial, which began in August last year, was granted accelerated hearing following a request by the DSS.
With judgment now set, families of victims, survivors and members of the public are expected to closely follow the proceedings as the court prepares to deliver its verdict in a case widely regarded as one of the country’s most significant terrorism trials in recent years.
For many relatives of those killed in the attack, the judgment represents a crucial step in the search for justice and accountability following a tragedy that left a lasting impact on the Owo community and the nation as a whole.