By TAIYE AGBAJE

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday reserved judgment in the trial of five men charged with alleged involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.

The Department of State Services (DSS) charged Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Abubakar with nine-counts of terrorism.

Justice Emeka Nwite made this known after lawyers to the prosecution and the defence adopted their final written addresses and presented their arguments for and against the case.

Justice Nwite said that judgment would be reserved to a date to be communicated to parties.

The judge told lawyers to the parties that they would receive notice from the court once the judgment was ready, hinting that the notice could be within 24 hours.

In his final submission, lawyer to the prosecution, Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, urged the court to convict the defendants and impose the maximum sentence of death in view of the enormity of the crime they allegedly committed.

On his part, the defendants’ lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammad, prayed the court to discharge and acquit his clients on the grounds that the prosecution was unable to establish its case against them.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that a total of 41 worshippers were killed during the terror attack on the church, while over 140 others suffered various injuries.

The DSS had called 11 witnesses to establish the allegations against the defendants in the trial that began on Aug. 1, 2025.

The trial court had admitted the confessional statements of the defendants following the conclusion of the trial- within-trial conducted to establish that the witnesses’ statements were voluntarily given.

The DSS had, in the commencement of the trial, sought an accelerated hearing which was granted by the court. (NAN)

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