Five men accused of killing 50 worshippers and wounding over 100 others in a terrorist attack on a catholic church in Owo, Southwestern Nigeria face a federal high court in Abuja three years after, where they have been charged on nine counts of terrorism.
Reports indicate that the five men pleaded not guilty before the court during their arraignment.
Reports further point out that the men allegedly joined the East African terrorist group Al Shabaab in 2021. They plotted the attack on Owo’s St Francis Catholic Church near a mosque in the area, according to court filings seen by Reuters.
During a Sunday mass on June 5th 2022, gunmen stormed St Francis Church and started shooting at worshippers.
The counts are described as the first steps towards a case that will officially begin on August 19.
The defendants – Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar were initially associated to the Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, and Al Shabaab but neither claimed responsibility for the attack.
