The Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday reserved judgment in the trial of five men accused of masterminding the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left 41 worshippers dead and scores injured.
Justice Emeka Nwite fixed judgment for a date to be communicated to parties after lawyers representing the prosecution and the defence adopted their final written addresses.
The judge told counsel that the court would notify them once the judgment was ready, noting that the notice could be issued within 24 hours.
During the proceedings, counsel to the Department of State Services, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), urged the court to convict the defendants and impose the death penalty, citing the severity of the offence.
However, defence counsel, Abdullahi Mohammad, asked the court to discharge and acquit the accused persons, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish a case against them beyond reasonable doubt.
The defendants standing trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al-Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
The DSS had called 11 witnesses since the commencement of the trial on August 1, 2025, in an effort to prove the allegations against the suspects.
The court had earlier admitted the confessional statements of the defendants after conducting a trial-within-trial to determine whether the statements were voluntarily made.
No fewer than 140 persons were reportedly injured during the deadly attack, which shocked the country and drew widespread condemnation.
The DSS had also secured an accelerated hearing of the case at the early stage of the trial.
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