DSS Seeks Death Penalty for Owo Church Attack Suspects as Court Reserves Judgement
The Department of State Services (DSS) on Tuesday urged a Federal High Court in Abuja to sentence to death five men accused of masterminding the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
Lead prosecution counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), asked the court to convict the defendants and impose the maximum punishment under the law, arguing that the brutality of the attack warranted the full weight of justice. He said the prosecution had sufficiently proved its case through evidence and investigations presented before the court.
Justice Emeka Nwite reserved judgement in the matter after both the prosecution and defence concluded their final arguments. The judge said parties would be informed of the judgement date, possibly within 24 hours.
Counsel to the defendants, Abdullahi Mohammad, however, asked the court to discharge and acquit the accused persons, insisting that the prosecution failed to establish the allegations beyond reasonable doubt.
The defendants are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
The attack on the Catholic church claimed dozens of lives and drew widespread condemnation from Nigerian leaders and the international community, including Pope Francis, António Guterres, the European Union and the United Kingdom.
Former President Muhammadu Buhari, late Ondo State Governor Rotimi Akeredolu and Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III also condemned the incident and demanded justice for the victims.
