By Muhammad Mamman
A Federal High Court in Abuja has refused bail to five men accused of being members of the terrorist group Al-Shabab and of carrying out the deadly attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers in June 2022.
Ruling on the bail application on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the charges against the defendants were capital in nature and carried serious security implications. He further agreed with the Department of State Services (DSS) that the weight of evidence presented was significant and that granting bail could jeopardise the trial.
The judge said the DSS’s concerns—that the accused might abscond, intimidate witnesses, or interfere with proceedings—were not successfully challenged by the defence. He also faulted the application on technical grounds, noting that the motion paper did not list the names of the five defendants individually, and that a single joint affidavit was filed instead of separate affidavits as required by law.
“The defendants have failed to provide cogent reasons for bail or to demonstrate that credible sureties exist. Granting bail in this case would amount to judicial risk,” Justice Nwite ruled, dismissing the application in its entirety.
The court granted an accelerated hearing of the case and fixed 19 October 2025 for commencement of trial.
The accused persons – Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar – were arrested in connection with the Owo massacre and other terror-related activities in Kogi and Ondo States.
According to the charges, the five men, along with others still at large, allegedly joined the Al-Shabab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State in 2021 and conspired in a series of meetings to launch the Owo attack. They face multiple counts under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022, including membership of a terrorist organisation and conspiracy to commit terrorist acts.
During the bail hearing, their counsel, Abdullahi Awwal Ibrahim, argued that the defendants had presented “reliable and responsible” sureties. However, counsel for the DSS, Dr Callistus Eze, countered that the severity of the charges and the likelihood of flight risk made bail untenable.
The suspects will remain in DSS custody pending trial.
