2022 Owo Church Bombing: Court Okays Protection Of Witnesses
* Fixes September 10 for defendants' bail application
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court on Tuesday in Abuja ruled in favor of protecting witnesses set to testify in the trial of five suspects linked to the June 5, 2022 bombing of St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, in Ondo State.
The ruling followed an ex parte application by the prosecutor, Calistus Eze, under the Terrorism Prevention Act 2022.
The accused—Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar—are facing a nine-count terrorism charge for their alleged connections to the East African terrorist group Al-Shabab. The attack on the church claimed the lives of over 40 people.
In support of the witness protection request, the prosecutor cited the grave nature of the charges. The defendants’ counsel, Abdullahi Muhammad, raised no objections.
Separately, Abdullahi Muhammad, who admitted that his clients were well treated in DSS custody, filed a bail application on their behalf. This application was opposed by the prosecutor. Calistus Eze argued that due to the suspects' suspected links to a foreign terrorist organization, there was sufficient doubt regarding their likelihood to appear for trial if granted bail.
He also expressed concerns about potential threats to the six witnesses scheduled to testify and questioned the reliability of any sureties the defendants might present.
The prosecutor further informed the court that the Department of State Services (DSS) has approved visitation rights for the families and relatives of the accused while in custody.
During proceedings, Mr. Eze also notified the court of a directive from the Attorney General’s office appointing a new lead prosecutor, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria Ayodeji Adedipe, to head the prosecution team. The process of transferring the case file to the new counsel is currently underway.
Accordingly, Eze requested an adjournment to allow the new lead prosecutor sufficient time to review the case.
In response, Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the matter until September 10 for a ruling on the bail application of the five suspects in the Owo church bombing case.
