Nearly three years on from the horror at St. Francis Catholic Church, the five men accused of the Owo massacre now await their fate, and prosecutors want the death penalty.

The Federal High Court in Abuja has reserved judgement in the trial of five men accused of carrying out the June 5, 2022, terror attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, reports cbinewstv.

On Tuesday, Justice Emeka Nwite told the court he would deliver his decision at a later date, with parties to be notified once the judgement is ready. He hinted that notice could come within 24 hours.

The Department of State Services (DSS) charged Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Abubakar with nine counts of terrorism linked to the attack.

During final arguments, prosecution counsel Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, urged the court to hand down convictions and impose the maximum sentence, death, given the scale of the alleged crime. Defence lawyer Abdullahi Mohammad, however, asked the court to discharge and acquit his clients, arguing that the prosecution failed to prove its case.

According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the attack left 41 worshippers dead and more than 140 others injured.

The DSS called 11 witnesses since the trial began on August 1, 2025. The court had earlier admitted the defendants’ confessional statements after a trial-within-trial confirmed they were made voluntarily.

At the DSS’s request, the case was granted an accelerated hearing. Now, all eyes are on Justice Nwite as the judgement day approaches.

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