The Federal High Court in Abuja has reserved judgment in the trial of five men accused of carrying out the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which resulted in the deaths of 41 worshippers. Justice Emeka Nwite, presiding, announced the judgment would be delivered after notification to both legal teams, possibly within 24 hours. Representing the prosecution, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), counsel to the Department of State Services, urged the court to impose the death penalty, citing the severity of the crime. Defence lawyer Abdullahi Mohammad countered, requesting the court to discharge and acquit the accused, asserting the prosecution had not met the burden of proof. The accused—Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar—have maintained their innocence throughout the trial. The DSS presented 11 witnesses during proceedings that began August 1, 2025, and the court had previously admitted the defendants' confessional statements after a trial-within-trial confirmed they were given voluntarily. More than 140 people were injured in the attack, and the DSS had obtained an arrest warrant for additional suspects not currently on trial. The court did not specify the exact date for the delivery of judgment but assured prompt communication to legal representatives.
The prosecution's push for the death penalty hinges on confessional statements the court already ruled were voluntary, yet the same evidence has not led to convictions in similar cases. While 41 lives were lost in Owo, the unresolved status of other suspects named in the warrant suggests the scope of accountability remains incomplete. The outcome of this trial may reflect more on judicial interpretation than closure for victims' families. Justice delayed, even by hours, compounds the trauma for those still awaiting answers.
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