A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced four men to death for their involvement in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, an incident that claimed dozens of lives and left many others injured in 2022.
The court found Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris guilty of terrorism-related offences connected to the church massacre. A fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was cleared of all allegations and discharged by the court.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite held that prosecutors successfully proved the charges against the four convicts beyond reasonable doubt. He subsequently ordered that they be executed by hanging.
The case was brought before the court by the Department of State Services (DSS) after the suspects were arrested in parts of Kogi and Ondo states. They were arraigned on multiple terrorism charges and initially pleaded not guilty.
During the trial, the DSS presented 11 witnesses, including survivors, eyewitnesses, and security personnel involved in the investigation. The agency also tendered several exhibits, including confessional statements allegedly made by the accused persons during interrogation.
According to evidence presented before the court, the convicted men were linked to a banned terrorist group and were found to have participated in meetings where plans for the Owo church attack were allegedly discussed and finalized.
The court ruled that the prosecution established that the attackers used explosives and firearms during the assault on worshippers, resulting in the deaths of 43 people and injuries to more than 160 others.
Justice Nwite dismissed claims by the convicts that their statements were obtained through force, noting that available evidence supported the prosecution’s case.
Apart from the death sentence imposed on the terrorism-related counts involving the killing of worshippers, the court also handed down additional prison terms on other charges.
The judgment brings to a close one of Nigeria’s most high-profile terrorism trials linked to the tragic attack that shocked the country and drew widespread condemnation both locally and internationally.
While the four convicted men were found guilty on all major counts, the fifth defendant was acquitted after the court ruled that the evidence presented against him was insufficient to establish any criminal involvement.
The attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo remains one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history.