DSS Operatives
Security agency warns suspects pose flight risk, threaten witnesses as court fixes September 10 for ruling
The Department of State Services (DSS) has raised strong opposition to the bail application filed by five men accused of orchestrating the June 5, 2022, terror attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, where about 40 worshippers were killed and over 100 others injured.
In a counter-affidavit filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the DSS alleged that the defendants had connections with foreign terrorist fighters linked to the Somali-based extremist group, Al-Shabab, and could escape justice if released on bail.
The suspects identified as Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47)—are facing a nine-count terrorism charge marked FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025. They were arraigned on August 11.
According to the DSS, granting them bail would not only endanger public safety but also put prosecution witnesses at serious risk. The service disclosed that some accomplices of the suspects remain at large and have been “making frantic efforts to monitor proceedings, intimidate witnesses, and possibly orchestrate a jailbreak.”
It further noted that witnesses had already expressed fears for their lives and were unwilling to appear in court unless adequate protective measures were provided. This, the DSS said, prompted its ex parte application for witness protection. “The prosecution has demonstrated readiness for a speedy trial of the substantive charge. The defendants have not presented credible sureties to guarantee their presence in court. It will not be in the interest of justice and the safety of prosecution witnesses to grant bail,” the DSS argued.
However, defence lawyer Abdullahi Mohammad urged the court to consider the fact that his clients had been in custody since 2022 and were prepared to produce reliable sureties to prove their willingness to face trial.
The prosecuting counsel, Dr. Calistus Eze, countered that the bail application lacked merit, stressing that there were still active threats against prosecution witnesses, something he said the defence was well aware of.
After hearing both sides, Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned ruling on the bail application until September 10.
Earlier in the proceedings, Eze informed the court that although the matter was slated for the prosecution to open its case, it could not proceed immediately because the DSS had transferred the case to a senior lawyer, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), who is awaiting the Attorney General’s fiat to formally lead the prosecution.
Neither the defence nor the court opposed the adjournment request. The prosecution also successfully sought an order protecting the identities of its witnesses. Justice Nwite granted the application, allowing witnesses to testify while veiled and identified only by coded alphabets in court records and judgments accessible to the public. With the stage now set for a potentially high-profile terrorism trial, all eyes will be on the court come September when a decision on the bail application will be delivered.
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