Court Hearing for Alleged Owo Church Attack Perpetrators

Five men accused of carrying out a deadly attack on a Catholic church in Owo, Nigeria, appeared in court on Monday. The 2022 attack resulted in at least 50 deaths and over 100 injuries. The suspects face charges under Nigeria's terrorism law and have pleaded not guilty.

The arraignment took place in a federal high court in Abuja, where the suspects were remanded in the Department of State Services' custody. The trial, set to begin on August 19, will test Nigeria's ability to prosecute terrorism-related cases amidst ongoing insurgency challenges.

The attackers allegedly joined Al Shabaab in 2021 and plotted additional attacks. Despite initial suspicions of Islamic State West Africa Province's involvement, neither ISWAP nor Al Shabaab has claimed responsibility for the Owo attack.

(With inputs from agencies.)