A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which left dozens of worshippers dead and many others injured.
Gatekeepers News reports that Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding the defendants guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS). The convicts; Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris were among five suspects standing trial over the attack.
The court held that the prosecution successfully proved its case against the defendants. In addition to the death sentence, the four men were handed life imprisonment for belonging to a terrorist organisation and 20-year jail terms for conspiracy-related offences. A fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
The attack occurred during a Pentecost Sunday service at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, when gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives, killing more than 40 worshippers and injuring over 100 others. The massacre sparked national outrage and drew condemnation from within and outside Nigeria.
Before the judgment, the DSS had urged the court to impose the maximum penalty, arguing that the evidence presented during the trial established the defendants’ involvement in one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria’s history.
The judgment marks a major milestone in the prosecution of those linked to the Owo church attack, nearly four years after the incident shocked the nation and raised concerns about terrorism and insecurity across the country.
