Owo church attack: Court refuses bail for alleged Al-Shabab terrorists

1 month ago 7

By Soni Daniel

A Federal High Court successful Abuja connected Wednesday refused a bail petition made by 5 alleged Al-Shabab terrorists who allegedly attacked a Catholic Church successful Owo town, Ondo State, starring to the decease of implicit 40 worshippers.

Justice Emeka Nwite who dismissed their bail exertion held that the coercion charges against them were superior successful nature.

The justice besides held that they were accused of being members of a violent organisation who whitethorn intimidate witnesses, power and jeopardize the proceedings of the defendants earlier the court.

Delivering a ruling connected the bail application, the justice upheld the arguments of the Department of the State Service, DSS, that the grounds against the alleged terrorists was weighty and cannot beryllium glossed over.

Besides, the justice said that the DSS statement that they volition leap bail if was not disputed and deemed to beryllium true.

The proceedings justice besides upheld the submission of the information bureau that the 5 accused persons did not found having credible sureties that tin basal for them pending their trial.

He maintained that the arguments of the DSS that admitting them to bail would magnitude to judicial hazard was besides not challenged by their lawyers.

In all, the justice held that the defendants failed to springiness cogent reasons connected wherefore they should beryllium granted bail pending their proceedings and subsequently dismissed the bail request.

Earlier, earlier going into the merit of the bail application, the justice declared the question connected announcement incompetent connected the crushed that names of the 5 defendants were not listed connected the question insubstantial arsenic required by law.

Similarly, the justice faulted the question insubstantial connected different crushed that a associated affidavit of 2 paragraphs was successful enactment of the petition for bail of the 5 defendants arsenic against the presumption of the instrumentality that each of the accused persons indispensable person abstracted affidavits to backmost up specified request.

While granting accelerated trial, Justice Nwite fixed October 19 for commencement of trial.

It volition beryllium recalled that their bail exertion dated August 11, 2025, was argued by their counsel Abdullahi Awwal Ibrahim connected August 19, 2025.

The 5 accused persons are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.

While arguing the application, the lawyer submitted that the accused persons assembled reliable and liable sureties.

The petition was, however, opposed by the DSS lawyer, Dr Callistus Eze, connected the crushed that the accused persons whitethorn flight due to the fact that of the gravity of the charges against them.

He had urged the tribunal to garbage the bail exertion and let the defendants stay successful the DSS custody.

Some counts successful the complaint read: “That you, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar adults, males, with others inactive astatine large, sometime successful 2021, did articulation and became members of AL Shabab Terrorist Group, with compartment successful Kogi State and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable nether Section 25(1) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

“That you, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, adults, males, with others inactive astatine large, connected 30th May, 2022; 37 June, 2022 and 4 June, 2022, astatine Government Secondary School, Ogamirana, Adavi LGA, Kogi State and down Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose LGA, Ondo State, respectively, attended and held meetings, wherever you agreed to and planned for the violent attack, which you carried retired connected 5 June, 2022, astatine St. Francs Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable nether Section 12(a) of Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.