Five men accused of planning the 2022 bombing at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, have denied all charges of terrorism against them.

The suspects, named Idris Omeiza, Al-Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdul Malik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Abubakar, appeared in Federal High Court before Justice Emeka Nwite on Monday, August 11, 2025. They are believed to be members of the terrorist group Al-Shabab, operating a cell in Kogi State.

The Federal Government is handling the prosecution through the Attorney-General’s office.

Nine terrorism-related charges were filed against the suspects under case number FHC/ABJ/301/2025.

According to the charge document signed by M.B. Abubakar, Director of Public Prosecutions, the suspects and others still at large joined the Al-Shabab terrorist group sometime in 2021.

They allegedly established their cell in Kogi and committed offenses under Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act of 2022.

In a second charge, the suspects are said to have met several times between May 30 and June 4, 2022, at locations in Kogi and Ondo States. During these meetings, they planned the attack on the Owo church that happened on June 5, 2022. This act violates Section 12(a) of the Terrorism Act of 2022.

Justice Nwite scheduled the trial to begin on August 19, 2025.

The court also ordered that the suspects be held in custody by the Department of State Services (DSS).

This arraignment comes three years after General Lucky Irabor, then Chief of Defence Staff, announced that those responsible for the attack had been arrested.

The National Security Council connected the church bombing to the violent actions of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP).

During the attack, terrorists stormed the church on a Sunday service, killing more than 40 worshippers and injuring many others.

The late Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, condemned the attack, calling it a crime against humanity.