Five men facing charges over the killing of 50 worshippers and the injury of more than 100 others in a 2022 terrorist attack on a Catholic church in Owo, Southwestern Nigeria, have pleaded not guilty during their arraignment on Monday.
The accused: Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, appeared before the Federal High Court in Abuja, where they were slammed with nine counts of terrorism, according to local TV.
Prosecutors allege that the men joined the East African terrorist group Al Shabaab in 2021 and later orchestrated the deadly assault on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, located near a mosque in the area, court documents revealed.
