Court Reserves Judgment in Owo Church Attack Case

On Tuesday, the Federal High Court in Abuja reserved judgment in the trial of five men accused of participating in the June 5, 2022, terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left 41 worshippers dead and 140 others injured.

The prosecution, led by Ayodeji Adedipe SAN, is seeking the death penalty for the defendants, who are identified as Idri Abdulmalik, Omeiza Al Qasim Idri, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idri, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar. The trial commenced on August 1, 2025, with the court admitting the defendants' confession statements, which are under scrutiny to determine if they were made voluntarily.

The court has informed the lawyers that they will be notified within 24 hours once the judgment is ready. The attack, described as a "deliberate, vicious, calculated assault" by the then Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, has sparked national outrage and heightened security measures across the country.