Court adjourns till August 19 for trial
The Department of State Services (DSS), yesterday, arraigned five men before a Federal High Court in Abuja over their alleged involvement in the June 5, 2022, attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, in Ondo State.

The suspects, who include Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris; Jamiu Abdulmalik; Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, are to face trial for the assault, which claimed over 40 lives and left over 100 others injured.

The five defendants were arraigned on a nine-count terrorism charge, marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, filed by the secret police.

They are, among others, accused of being members of the Al Shabab terrorist group, with a cell in Kogi State.

The accused are also alleged to have carried out the attack in furtherance of their religious ideology.

They pleaded not guilty when the charge was read to them by an official of the court.

Following their not guilty plea, the prosecuting lawyer, Calistus Eze, urged the court to order their remand in custody.

Defence lawyer, Abdullahi Muhammad, however, prayed the court to order the DSS to grant the defendants’ families and their legal representatives access to them.

Muhammad said the defendants have been in custody since 2022, when they were arrested, and have not had access to family members and their lawyers.

Eze countered that it was the standard practice that detainees’ family members and lawyers should be granted access after a formal written request.

He noted that it has become inevitable at this stage that the defendants be allowed access to their lawyers to enable them to prepare their defence.

Ruling, Justice Emeka Nwite ordered that the defendants be remanded in custody. He then adjourned till August 19 for the commencement of the trial.