Five men accused of carrying out a deadly terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, southwestern Nigeria, have pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on Monday. The 2022 attack left 50 worshippers dead and more than 100 others injured.
The defendants — Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — appeared before a Federal High Court in Abuja. They are facing nine counts of terrorism-related charges, according to local media outlet Channels TV.
Court documents reviewed by Reuters allege that the suspects joined the East African terrorist group Al Shabaab in 2021 and later conspired to target the church, which is located near a mosque in Owo.
The attack occurred during Sunday mass on June 5, 2022, when gunmen stormed the church and opened fire on worshippers. Nigerian authorities initially attributed the assault to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), though neither ISWAP nor Al Shabaab has officially claimed responsibility.
The suspects were apprehended in early August 2022, but formal charges were not filed until nearly three years later. Monday’s arraignment marks the beginning of legal proceedings, with the trial scheduled to commence on August 19. The defendants will remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) until then.
Nigeria continues to grapple with rising violence from Islamist militant groups, including Boko Haram and ISWAP. In June, a suspected female suicide bomber killed at least 12 people and wounded many others in an attack on a crowded market in Borno State, northeastern Nigeria.
