FIVE alleged terrorists said to be members of the Al Shabab group involved in the June 5, 2022, attack at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, have applied for bail.
The defendants, namely Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, and Al Qasim Idris, on Tuesday, August 19, pleaded with the Federal High Court in Abuja to order their release from the custody of the State Security Service (SSS), also known as Department of State Services (DSS), pending the determination of their trial.
The Federal Government (FG) in the charge marked: FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, being prosecuted by the SSS, alleged that the defendants attacked the church, which led to the death of over 40 persons and left over 100 others injured.
The defendants, suspected to be part of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi state, allegedly attacked worshippers using IEDs and AK-47 rifles to advance their ideological agenda.
The five accused persons, however, pleaded not guilty when the charges were read to them in court on August 11.
The application came on a day the court gave the Federal Government the nod to shield the identities of witnesses who will testify against the defendants.
During Tuesday’s hearing, the prosecution counsel, Calistus Eze, requested the court to grant an ex parte application to protect witnesses’ identities, citing concerns for their safety given the case’s sensitive nature.
Following a no-objection stance by the defendants, the judge, Emeka Nwite, ordered that the names and identities of the witnesses should not be disclosed during the trial.
Defence counsel Abdullahi Muhammad urged the court to grant bail to his clients, promising to provide suitable sureties and assuring their attendance at trial.
The prosecution vehemently opposed the application, citing concerns that the defendants might flee.
The FG’s lawyer, Eze, argued that the seriousness of the charge and the possible outcome of the trial were enough to motivate the defendants to jump bail and escape from the country.
He therefore urged the court to deny the bail application and instead order an accelerated hearing of the case.
After hearing both sides, the judge, Emeka Nwite, sitting as a vacation judge, adjourned the matter to rule on the application.
Meanwhile, the FG informed the court that it had appointed Adedeji Adedipe, a senior advocate, to head the prosecution.
The court previously ordered the SSS to grant the defendants access to their lawyers and family, enabling them to prepare their defence.
The ICIR reported that the then Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Lucky Irabor, in 2022, said troops of the Nigerian Army arrested the gunmen involved in the Owo attack.
The CDS spoke during a press briefing at the Defence Headquarters in Abuja.
Irabor said the army arrested the terrorists in collaboration with other security agencies.
A reporter with the ICIR
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