A Federal High Court in Abuja has reserved judgement in the trial of five men accused of masterminding the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
Justice Emeka Nwite made the decision Tuesday after both prosecution and defence concluded final arguments.
He said the judgement date would be communicated to parties, possibly within 24 hours.
The Department of State Services, DSS, which prosecuted the case, urged the court to impose the maximum penalty under the law.
Lead counsel Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN) asked the court to convict the defendants and sentence them to death, arguing that the brutality of the attack warranted the full weight of the law.
He said the prosecution had established its case through evidence and investigations.
Defence counsel Abdullahi Mohammad asked the court to discharge and acquit the defendants, contending that the prosecution did not sufficiently prove the charges.
The five defendants are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
The attack on St. Francis Catholic Church killed dozens of worshippers and drew condemnation from Nigerian officials and international leaders, including Pope Francis, UN Secretary-General António Guterres, the EU, and the UK.
Then-President Muhammadu Buhari, Ondo Governor Rotimi Akeredolu, and Sultan of Sokoto Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar III all condemned the attack and called for justice.
