Court Refuses Bail for Owo Church Attack Suspects, Citing Terrorism Links

A Federal High Court in Abuja has denied bail for five men accused of being Al-Shabab terrorists involved in the deadly 2022 attack on a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State. The attack claimed the lives of over 40 worshippers.

Justice Emeka Nwite, who presided over the case, rejected the bail application, citing the serious nature of the terrorism charges. He stated that the accused are suspected members of a “strong terrorist organization” and, if released, could intimidate witnesses or interfere with the trial.

The judge’s decision was based on several points raised by the Department of State Service (DSS), which argued that the evidence against the men is substantial. The DSS also contended that the defendants were a flight risk and that their lawyers did not provide credible sureties who could guarantee their court appearances.

In a ruling that upheld all arguments of the security agency, Justice Nwite concluded that the defendants failed to provide “cogent and verifiable reasons” for their release pending trial. He also found their bail motion to be legally incompetent due to procedural errors, including the failure to list the names of all five defendants on the motion paper and the use of a single joint affidavit instead of a separate one for each person.The five accused men are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.

The court has now granted an accelerated trial and scheduled the commencement for October 19.