Court Denies Bail to Owo Church Attack Suspects, Trial Set for October 19

Court Denies Bail to Owo Church Attack Suspects, Trial Set for October 19

A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused to grant bail to five men standing trial for their alleged role in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

In a ruling delivered on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite dismissed the bail applications, noting that the charges against the defendants were capital in nature and tied to terrorism.

Justice Nwite stated that the accused, who are alleged members of a notorious terrorist group, could intimidate witnesses and compromise the trial if released. He agreed with the Department of State Services (DSS) that the evidence against the suspects was weighty and the possibility of them absconding could not be ignored.

The judge ruled that the defendants failed to present credible sureties and did not provide cogent, verifiable reasons to justify bail. He therefore dismissed their request and granted the prosecution’s plea for an accelerated trial.

The trial has now been fixed for October 19, 2025.

The five defendants are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.

One of the charges reads:

“That you, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar adults, males, with others still at large, sometime in 2021, did join and became members of AL Shabab Terrorist Group, with cell in Kogi State and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 25(1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”

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The defendants’ lawyer, Abdullahi Awwal Ibrahim, had argued that his clients presented reliable sureties, but the DSS, represented by Dr. Callistus Eze, opposed the application, insisting that the gravity of the charges warranted their continued detention.

Justice Nwite also declared the bail motion incompetent since it failed to list the names of the five defendants as required by law, and instead relied on a joint affidavit, which contradicted legal provisions that demand individual affidavits for each accused person.

With the dismissal of the bail application, the five suspects will remain in DSS custody until trial begins.