The federal government has arraigned five suspects over their alleged role in the killing of more than 40 worshippers at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state.
On June 5, 2022, gunmen launched an attack on the church, shooting worshippers at point-blank range.
The suspects facing charges are Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
On Monday, operatives from the Department of State Services (DSS) presented the suspects before the federal high court in Abuja.
They were arraigned before Judge Emeka Nwite on a nine-count charge filed by the attorney-general of the federation.
The suspects, along with others still at large, were accused of having, sometime in 2021, joined the AL Shabab Terrorist Group.
They were said to have established their “cell in Kogi and thereby committed an offence contrary to and punishable under Section 25(1) of the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.”
The federal government also alleged that the suspects convened meetings at the Government Secondary School, Ogamirana, Adavi Local Government Area in Kogi, as well as behind Omialafa Central Mosque, Ose LGA, Ondo, during 2022.
During these meetings, they planned the attack, which they executed in June of the same year.