A federal high court in Abuja has authorized a request by the Department of State Services (DSS) to provide protection for its witnesses in the trial of five individuals connected to the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
Judge Emeka Nwite approved the motion on Tuesday, August 19, after DSS counsel Calistus Eze presented the request, which went unopposed by defence lawyer Abdullahi Muhammad. Eze highlighted threats against potential witnesses as the basis for the application.
The defendants, Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, were charged on August 11 with a nine-count indictment filed by the Attorney-General of the Federation. They are accused of participating in the murder of over 40 worshippers during the church assault.
According to the federal government, the accused and others still at large had joined the Al-Shabaab terrorist group in 2021. They allegedly ran a cell in Kogi State and convened meetings at the Government Secondary School in Ogamirana, Kogi, and behind Omialafa Central Mosque in Ose, Ondo, to orchestrate the attack.
On June 5, 2022, the suspects allegedly set off improvised explosive devices and fired on worshippers, leading to more than 40 deaths, including Ajanaku John, Onuoha Deborah, Onileke Esther, and John Bosede. Over 100 others, including Onileke Ayodele, John Blessing, Nselu Esther, and Ogungbade Peter, were reportedly injured during the attack.
The suspects are charged under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act 2022, including Section 25(1) for terrorist affiliation and Section 42(a)(ii) for attacks intended to cause death and promote a religious ideology.
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