3 years later, FG arraigns suspects over Owo Catholic Church atta-ck | READ FULL DETAILS
The Federal Government has on Monday, August 11, 2025, arraigned five suspected terro-rists who at-tacked St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State.
Recall that the Catholic Church was on June 5, 2022 invaded by terror-ists who ki-lled many worshippers during service.
However, three years later, some suspects have been arraigned before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja.
The five suspects, who were escorted into the courtroom by operatives of the Department of State Service, are; Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
The Federal Government through the office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, preferred nine counts against the defendants.
In the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, filed and signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions in the Federal Ministry of Justice, the suspects, and others who are at large, were alleged to have sometime in 2021, joined and became members of AL Shabab Terror-ist Group.
They were alleged to have their “cell in Kogi and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 25(1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
In count two, they were alleged to have on May 30, 2022; June 3, 2022 and June 4, 2022, at Government Secondary School, Ogamirana, Adavi LGA in Kogi and behind Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose LGA, Ondo State, respectively, attended and held meetings, “where you agreed to and planned for the terror-ist a-ttack”, which they carried out on June 5, 2022, at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
The offence is said to be contrary to and punishable under Section 12(a) of Ter-rorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
However, when the charges were read to them, the suspects pleaded not guilty.
Justice Nwite thereafter fixed August 19, 2025 for the commencement of trial.
The judge equally ordered the suspects to be remanded in the custody of the DSS.
The arraignment of the suspects comes three years after the then Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, said those behind the attack were arrested.
