Court Reserves Judgment In Owo Church Attack Case

The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has reserved judgment in the trial of five suspects accused of involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed the ruling after hearing the final arguments from both the prosecution and defence on Tuesday, stating that parties involved would be informed once the judgment date is ready.
The judge noted that the notice for the judgment could be issued within 24 hours.
During the proceedings, counsel to the Department of State Services (DSS), Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), urged the court to convict the defendants and impose the maximum sentence of death, citing the gravity of the alleged offence.
According to him, the prosecution successfully proved its case through detailed investigations and substantial evidence, stressing that security agencies remained committed to ensuring justice for victims of one of Nigeria’s deadliest attacks on worshippers.
However, defence counsel, Abdullahi Mohammad, asked the court to discharge and acquit the accused persons, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish a convincing case against them.
The suspects standing trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.