Court Set to Decide Fate of Five Defendants in Owo Church Attack Trial

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The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday is set to decide the fate of five defendants linked to the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, in which about 40 worshippers were killed and over 100 others injured.

Justice Emeka Nwite is presiding over the judgment in the terrorism trial. All five defendants are present in court.

The defendants standing trial over the June 5, 2022 attack are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; Abdulhaleem Idris, 25; and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47.

Justice Nwite reserved judgment on May 26 after lawyers for the prosecution and defence adopted their final written addresses.

The prosecution lawyer, Ayodeji Adedipe, urged the court to convict the defendants and impose the maximum punishment of death because of the gravity of the alleged offence. However, the defence lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammad, asked the court to discharge and acquit his clients, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove its case.

The attack occurred during a Pentecost Sunday Mass at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo. Gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives inside and around the church, killing at least 41 worshippers and injuring more than 140 others. The incident triggered national outrage and condemnation from local and international bodies.

The defendants were arraigned in August last year on terrorism charges filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation. Prosecutors alleged that the suspects belonged to an Al Shabaab cell operating in Kogi State and that they planned and carried out the deadly church attack as part of a violent religious agenda. The defendants pleaded not guilty.

During the trial, survivors of the attack, church members, Amotekun operatives, and DSS investigators took turns to testify. Some witnesses narrated how the attackers stormed the church and opened fire on worshippers attempting to flee. One witness, who testified in a wheelchair, told the court she lost both legs and one eye after explosives detonated during the attack.

The prosecution closed its case after calling 11 witnesses. A DSS digital forensic expert told the court that investigators used phone tracking, geospatial analysis, and cell tower triangulation to trace and arrest the suspects.

The defence argued that the defendants’ confessional statements were obtained under duress and torture. The first defendant, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, an auxiliary nurse, denied involvement in the attack, telling the court that DSS operatives arrested him at his residence in Kogi State in August 2022 and allegedly tortured him into signing statements.

Another defendant, Jamiu Abdulmalik, also denied involvement, testifying that he was arrested while travelling from Ondo to Kogi State and allegedly forced to sign statements implicating him in the attack.

The court is expected to deliver its judgment today, four years after the massacre that shook the nation.

Sources: Premium Times