Judgement ongoing on the trial of suspects involved in the June 5, 2022 attack at St. Francs Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, South-West Nigeria in which about 40 worshippers were killed.
The suspects who are Idris Abdumalik Omeiza 25 years, Al Qasim Isris, 20 years, Jamiu Abdumalik 26 years, Anduhaleem Idris 25 years and Momoh Otuho Abubakar 47 years, were arraigned on a nine-count charge bothering on terrorism, after series of investigation by the State Security Service, SSS, which the defendants pleaded not guilty to.
During trial, the Prosecution called 11 witnesses and a total number of 26 documents were tendered in evidence, before they closed their case in February 2026, as the defence opened its case in March.
Some of the documents include a fiat, from the Attorney-General of the Federation on the case, a letter inviting for autopsy to be conducted on victims of the attack, a forensic autopsy report carried out on the victims, among others.
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The accused persons testified in their defence in the course of the trial.
During trial, prosecution witnesses that testified recounted their ordeals on the day the attack was carried out, with a few of them explaining how they heard the sound of sporadic gunshots piercing the walls of the Church building and also how explosives detonated around them, leaving them with scars for the rest of their lives.
(Editor: Terverr Tyav)
