Latest news with #TemiladeAdelaja
The Star
6 hours ago
- The Star
Nigerian court to rule on bail for deadly church attack suspects on Sept 10
FILE PHOTO: People attend a mass memorial service for victims killed in an attack by gunmen during a Sunday mass service, at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo, Nigeria June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo ABUJA (Reuters) -Five men charged with carrying out a deadly Islamist militant attack on a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria in 2022 were remanded in custody on Tuesday until a court ruling on September 10 on their application for bail. The suspects, who pleaded not guilty when arraigned last week, appeared in court at the start of their trial on Tuesday, seeking bail three years after their arrest. The massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo that killed at least 50 worshippers and wounded over 100 others shocked the nation, highlighting the growing reach of Islamist militants beyond Nigeria's northeast. Abdullahi Muhammad, their lawyer, told the court that their prolonged detention was unjustified and asked for them to be released on bail. Prosecutor Ayodele Adedipe opposed the bail, citing national security risks and alleged links to foreign terrorist groups. He added that discrepancies in the bail application and alleged threats to witnesses were further grounds for denial. They were remanded in Department of State Services custody, where they have been held since their arrests, until a judge decides on their application next month. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Emelia Sithole-Matarise)
Straits Times
6 hours ago
- Straits Times
Nigerian court to rule on bail for deadly church attack suspects on Sept 10
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: People attend a mass memorial service for victims killed in an attack by gunmen during a Sunday mass service, at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo, Nigeria June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo ABUJA - Five men charged with carrying out a deadly Islamist militant attack on a Catholic church in southwestern Nigeria in 2022 were remanded in custody on Tuesday until a court ruling on September 10 on their application for bail. The suspects, who pleaded not guilty when arraigned last week, appeared in court at the start of their trial on Tuesday, seeking bail three years after their arrest. The massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo that killed at least 50 worshippers and wounded over 100 others shocked the nation, highlighting the growing reach of Islamist militants beyond Nigeria's northeast. Abdullahi Muhammad, their lawyer, told the court that their prolonged detention was unjustified and asked for them to be released on bail. Prosecutor Ayodele Adedipe opposed the bail, citing national security risks and alleged links to foreign terrorist groups. He added that discrepancies in the bail application and alleged threats to witnesses were further grounds for denial. They were remanded in Department of State Services custody, where they have been held since their arrests, until a judge decides on their application next month. REUTERS
The Star
11-08-2025
- The Star
Nigeria arraigns five accused in 2022 Catholic church massacre in Abuja court
FILE PHOTO: People attend a mass memorial service for victims killed in an attack by gunmen during a Sunday mass service, at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo, Nigeria June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo LAGOS (Reuters) -Nigerian prosecutors on Monday arraigned five men accused of carrying out a deadly Islamist militant attack on a Catholic church in Owo, in the southwestern Ondo state, that killed at least 50 worshippers in 2022 and wounded over 100 others. The suspects - 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 under Nigeria's terrorism law. The suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). Judge Emeka Nwite adjourned the start of the trial to August 19. The trial is expected to test the government's ability to prosecute cases tied to terrorism, a challenge as Nigeria grapples with insurgencies and widespread insecurity. According to court filings, the men allegedly joined the East African terrorist group Al Shabaab in 2021 and plotted the assault at a public school in central Nigeria and near a mosque 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) from Owo's St Francis Catholic Church. Al Shabaab did not claim responsibility for the June 2022 attack, and its operational presence in Nigeria remains unverified. Authorities initially blamed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which, alongside Boko Haram has waged a prolonged insurgency in Nigeria's northeast, though the group also did not claim responsibility for the attack. (Reporting by Camillus Eboh; writing by Ben Ezeamalu; editing by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo and Bernadette Baum)
Straits Times
11-08-2025
- Straits Times
Nigeria arraigns five accused in 2022 Catholic church massacre in Abuja court
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: People attend a mass memorial service for victims killed in an attack by gunmen during a Sunday mass service, at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo, Nigeria June 17, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo LAGOS - Nigerian prosecutors on Monday arraigned five men accused of carrying out a deadly Islamist militant attack on a Catholic church in Owo, in the southwestern Ondo state, that killed at least 50 worshippers in 2022 and wounded over 100 others. The suspects - 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 under Nigeria's terrorism law. The suspects pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded in the custody of the Department of State Services (DSS). Judge Emeka Nwite adjourned the start of the trial to August 19. The trial is expected to test the government's ability to prosecute cases tied to terrorism, a challenge as Nigeria grapples with insurgencies and widespread insecurity. According to court filings, the men allegedly joined the East African terrorist group Al Shabaab in 2021 and plotted the assault at a public school in central Nigeria and near a mosque 30 kilometres (18.6 miles) from Owo's St Francis Catholic Church. Al Shabaab did not claim responsibility for the June 2022 attack, and its operational presence in Nigeria remains unverified. Authorities initially blamed Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), which, alongside Boko Haram has waged a prolonged insurgency in Nigeria's northeast, though the group also did not claim responsibility for the attack. REUTERS
Straits Times
09-07-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Nigerians face new US visa restrictions with three-month limit
Sign up now: Get ST's newsletters delivered to your inbox FILE PHOTO: Passengers gather as they check-in their luggages at Murtala Muhammed International Airport in Lagos, Nigeria September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Temilade Adelaja/File Photo LAGOS, NIGERIA - Nigerians seeking to travel to the United States on non-immigrant visas will now receive single-entry three-month permits, the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria said, rolling back the up to five-year, multiple-entry visas they enjoyed previously. "We wish to underscore that as is standard globally, visa reciprocity is a continuous process and is subject to review and change at any time, such as increasing or decreasing permitted entries and duration of validity," the statement on the embassy's website said. A Nigerian foreign ministry official told local media that Nigeria has no such visa policy towards U.S. citizens. In June, the Trump administration added Nigeria to a list of 36 countries that could face travel restrictions if they failed to address various security and diplomatic concerns within two months. Nigeria's Foreign Affairs Minister Yusuf Tuggar did not respond to requests for comment. Nigeria received nearly one-fifth of the non-immigrant visas issued by the U.S. government in 2024 in Africa, according to the State Department, and is second only to South Africa on the list of such visas issued for that fiscal year. REUTERS
