Court Denies Bail to Five Suspects in Owo Church Attack
The Federal High Court in Abuja today denied bail to five men accused of being members of the Al-Shabab terrorist group and orchestrating the deadly attack on a Catholic church in Owo, Ondo State, which left over 40 worshippers dead.
Justice Emeka Nwite dismissed the bail application, citing the capital nature of the terrorism charges. The judge also highlighted the potential for the accused—who he said are members of a “strong terrorist organization”—to intimidate witnesses, influence the trial, or flee if released.
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Justice Nwite upheld the arguments of the Department of State Services (DSS), which asserted that the evidence against the suspects is substantial. The DSS lawyer, Dr. Callistus Eze, had also argued that the men posed a significant flight risk due to the severity of the charges. The judge noted that the defense lawyers did not challenge these claims.
The court also found issues with the bail application itself, stating that the motion paper was incompetent because it did not list the names of the five defendants as required by law. The judge also faulted the use of a single, joint affidavit for all five accused persons, instead of a separate affidavit for each one.
The five defendants, identified as Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, were represented by their counsel, Abdullahi Awwal Ibrahim.
With the bail request denied, Justice Nwite granted an accelerated trial. The case is set to commence on October 19.
By PRNigeria
