THE Federal High Court in Abuja has refused a bail application filed by five men accused of carrying out the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which killed dozens of worshippers and injured over 100 others.
The defendants – Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar – are facing multiple terrorism charges under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.
The federal government accused them of belonging to Al-Shabaab’s Kogi State cell and using Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles during the deadly church attack.
The accused pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them on August 11. They also applied for bail, pleading with the court to order their release from the custody of the State Security Service (SSS),
However, on Wednesday, September 10, the trial judge Emeka Nwite, a justice of the federal high court, dismissed their bail application, ruling that the terrorism charges against them were capital offences and releasing them would pose a significant security threat.
The defence counsel Abdullahi Awwal Ibrahim had argued that the defendants had secured ‘reliable and responsible sureties’ and would not jump bail.
But the prosecution, represented by State Security Services (SSS) lawyer Callistus Eze, opposed the application, while also warning that the men could abscond and intimidate witnesses.
Nwite agreed with the prosecution, stating that the defendants had failed to provide convincing grounds for release or credible sureties.
He added that granting bail in such circumstances would amount to a ‘judicial risk.’
The judge also faulted the bail application for procedural irregularities, including the absence of the defendants’ names on the motion paper and the filing of a joint two-paragraph affidavit instead of individual affidavits as required by law.
Nwite further ordered that the defendants remain in DSS custody and granted an accelerated hearing of the case, fixing October 19, 2025, for trial to commence.
The court had earlier granted the Federal Government’s request to shield the identities of witnesses who will testify against the defendants, following an ex parte application by the prosecution citing safety concerns.
The five accused were arrested in 2022 after the then Chief of Defence Staff, General Lucky Irabor, announced that troops, in collaboration with other security agencies, had apprehended the gunmen behind the Owo attack.
The Federal Government, in charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, alleged that the men participated in planning meetings, stockpiled IEDs and rifles, and executed the church bombing as part of Al-Shabaab’s extremist agenda in Nigeria.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M