Five men accused of carrying out the 2022 massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, appeared before a federal high court in Abuja on Monday, facing terrorism charges over the attack that killed at least 50 worshippers and injured more than 100.
The defendants – Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar – pleaded not guilty and were remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Prosecutors allege the men joined the East African militant group Al Shabaab in 2021 and also plotted attacks on a public school in central Nigeria and near a mosque 30 km from Owo. Al Shabaab has not claimed responsibility for the church assault, and its presence in Nigeria remains unverified.
Authorities initially suspected Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a Boko Haram offshoot active in the northeast, though the group also denied involvement.
Judge Emeka Nwite adjourned proceedings to August 19 in a case seen as a key test of Nigeria’s ability to prosecute high-profile terrorism cases amid ongoing insurgencies and insecurity.