Five men accused of carrying out the 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, southwestern Nigeria, have pleaded not guilty to nine counts of terrorism. The assault left 50 worshippers dead and more than 100 injured during Sunday Mass on June 5, 2022. The defendants — Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — appeared before a Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday, according to local reports. Court filings seen by Reuters allege the men joined the East African militant group Al Shabaab in 2021 and conspired to attack the Owo church, located near a local mosque.
On the day of the massacre, gunmen armed with rifles and explosives stormed the church, opening fire on worshippers. While Nigerian authorities initially blamed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), neither ISWAP nor Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the attack. The suspects were arrested in early August 2022 but were not formally charged until three years later. Monday’s arraignment marks the beginning of legal proceedings, with the trial set to start on August 19. The accused will remain in the custody of the Department of State Services until then.
The Owo attack remains one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history. It comes amid a resurgence of extremist violence by Boko Haram and ISWAP, which have displaced thousands in the country’s northeast. In June 2025, a suspected female suicide bomber killed at least 12 people and injured dozens more at a market in Borno State.
