FG Arraigns Five Suspects Over Alleged Terrorist Attack on Owo Catholic Church

The Federal Government is set to arraign five suspects alleged to have carried out the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, where scores of worshippers were killed.

The suspects — Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — were brought into the courtroom at about 9:05 a.m. on Monday by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS). They will appear before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja.

According to Voice of the People (VOP), the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) is prosecuting the case on behalf of the Federal Government.

In the nine-count charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025 and signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions at the Federal Ministry of Justice, the defendants and others still at large were accused of joining the Al Shabab Terrorist Group in 2021, establishing a cell in Kogi State in violation of Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

The charge further alleges that between May 30 and June 4, 2022, the suspects held meetings at Government Secondary School, Ogamirana, Adavi LGA, Kogi State, and behind Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose LGA, Ondo State, where they agreed and planned the Owo attack. The offence is said to contravene Section 12(a) of the same Act.

As of press time, the suspects were yet to be formally arraigned.