The Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has sentenced four terrorists to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, in Ondo State, which left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite convicted Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25, on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after ruling that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence linking him to the attack.
Justice Nwite held that the prosecution successfully established the guilt of the four convicts beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the evidence before the court clearly demonstrated their membership of, and active participation in, the terrorist group responsible for the deadly church attack.
According to the court, the convicts were principal members of a terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and participated directly in the assault on St. Francis Catholic Church during a Pentecost service.
The prosecution told the court that the attackers stormed the church and unleashed violence that resulted in heavy casualties and widespread destruction. It further stated that the terrorists used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles in carrying out the attack.
To prove its case, the prosecution presented 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements and a digital forensic examination report.
Among the exhibits admitted by the court was a mobile device said to contain communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the attack.
One of the prosecution witnesses, a Catholic priest who survived the incident, narrated how the attackers detonated multiple explosive devices inside the church, causing panic and significant loss of life among worshippers.
In his judgment, Justice Nwite held that the totality of the evidence presented by the prosecution firmly linked the four convicts to the attack and justified their conviction on the terrorism charges.
The Owo church attack, which occurred on June 5, 2022, during a Sunday service at St. Francis Catholic Church, shocked the nation and drew widespread condemnation from within Nigeria and the international community.
The death sentences mark a significant milestone in efforts to secure justice for the victims of one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history.
