Sawt Falasteen - Nigerian judge delays trial over 2022 church massacre

On June 5, 2022, gunmen attacked Saint Francis Catholic Church in Nigeria's Ondo state, killing at least 40 worshippers and injuring many others.

It was a rare assault in Nigeria's southwest, with jihadist attacks and mass kidnappings typically limited to the country's northeast, where an insurgency has been grinding on for more than a decade.

On Tuesday, in what was supposed to be the first day of proceedings, five men charged with carrying out the attack stood before a judge at the Federal High Court in downtown Abuja, dressed in brightly coloured kaftans and shirts.

Justice Emeka Nwite granted a request to delay the trial after prosecutors stressed that the attorney general had requested a new lead counsel for the case.

Prosecutors also called for witness protection, while the defence said they had been barred from meeting with their clients since their arrest more than three years ago.

"I've not been able to meet my clients... in the entire (three) years" they have been detained, until they were arraigned last week, defense counsel A.A. Muhammad told reporters after leaving the court.

Since then, Muhammad said the state intelligence department, where the accused have been held in custody, had once again barred him from seeing them.

Muhammad said at times he wasn't even sure of their exact whereabouts.

The court did not provide a new date for the beginning of the trial.

- Witness protection 'paramount' -

At Saint Francis Catholic Church, gunmen hid among the congregants and started shooting during the Sunday service, while others opened fire from the outside.

Authorities initially suspected the Islamic State West Africa Province group, which along with rival Boko Haram has been waging an insurgency for years in the country's northeast.

Under Nigeria's anti-terrorism law, the men were charged with conspiring and carrying out a "terrorist act" in which they "caused the death of over 40 persons, caused grievous bodily harm to over 100 persons and caused damage to the church building".

Opposing bail for the defendants, the prosecutor argued on Tuesday that the men "have links to foreign terrorist fighters" and could flee the country.

He later told reporters that prosecutors will call six witnesses to the stand and that "the protection of those witnesses is of paramount concern".

In the courtroom, the five men, who were not handcuffed, were allowed to mingle with supporters, and were later marched out by armed security.

B.Khalifa--SF-PST