Five men accused of carrying out the 2022 St. Francis Catholic Church massacre in Owo, southwestern Nigeria, have pleaded not guilty to terrorism charges before a Federal High Court in Abuja.
The defendants Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar face nine counts of terrorism over the June 5, 2022 attack, which killed at least 50 worshippers and injured more than 100 others.
Prosecutors allege the men joined the East African militant group Al Shabaab in 2021 and conspired to launch the deadly assault. Court documents state that gunmen stormed the church during Sunday mass, opening fire on congregants.
Nigerian authorities initially blamed the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), though neither ISWAP nor Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility.
The suspects were arrested in August 2022 but formally charged only this year. Monday’s arraignment marks the start of the legal proceedings, with trial set to begin on August 19. The accused will remain in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS) until then.
The Owo massacre stands as one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history. It comes against a backdrop of renewed violence by Islamist insurgent groups, including a June 2025 market bombing in Borno State, where a suspected female suicide bomber killed over 12 people.
