Five individuals accused of masterminding the 2022 bombing of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, have pleaded not guilty to nine counts of terrorism brought against them by the Federal Government.
The suspects — Idris Omeiza, Al-Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdul Malik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Abubakar — were arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Federal High Court, Abuja, on Monday, August 11, 2025.
According to the charges, the defendants are alleged members of the terrorist group Al-Shabab, said to have established a cell in Kogi State. The case is being prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), with charges marked FHC/ABJ/301/2025.
The charge sheet, signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, alleges that the suspects — along with others still at large — joined Al-Shabab in 2021, an offence punishable under Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
One of the charges accuses the suspects of attending and organizing planning meetings on May 30, June 3, and June 4, 2022, at various locations in Kogi and Ondo States. These meetings allegedly led to the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo — a crime punishable under Section 12(a) of the same Act.
Justice Nwite ordered the suspects to be remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) and set August 19, 2025, for the commencement of trial.
The arraignment comes three years after former Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, announced the arrest of those responsible for the attack. The National Security Council had earlier linked the atrocity to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).
The June 2022 attack claimed the lives of over 40 worshippers and left many others injured, as gunmen opened fire during a Sunday Mass. The late Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, had condemned the massacre as a crime against humanity.
