Five men charged in court for 2022 church massacre in Nigeria

Five men accused of killing 50 worshippers and wounding over 100 others in a terrorist attack on a catholic church in Owo, Southwestern Nigeria in 2022, pleaded not guilty during their arraignment Monday.

The defendants - Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar - appeared before a federal high court in Abuja, where they were charged on nine counts of terrorism, according to local Channel TV.

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 Sunday mass on June 5th 2022, gunmen stormed St Francis Church and started shooting at worshippers. Nigerian authorities initially blamed Islamic State West Africa Province, ISWAP, for the massacre; however, neither ISWAP nor Al Shabaab have claimed responsibility for the attack.

The suspects were arrested in early August 2022, but it would take another three years before they were charged in a court of law. Monday’s proceedings are the first step in a trial which will officially begin August 19. The defendants will remain in the custody of the Department of State Services until then.

Nigeria has experienced renewed violence by Islamist groups Boko Haram and ISWAP in recent months, which has forced thousands of people to leave their homes in Nigeria. In June, more than 12 people were killed and many injured when a suspected female suicide bomber detonated her explosives at a market in Borno, Northeastern Nigeria.