Abuja — The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four persons to death by hanging for their roles in the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of 43 worshippers.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite convicted four of the five defendants arraigned by the Department of State Services (DSS) on a nine-count charge bordering on terrorism, membership of foreign terrorist organisations and participation in the deadly attack.
The court held that the prosecution successfully proved its case against the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
Those sentenced to death are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25.
Justice Nwite ordered that the four convicts be executed by hanging.
However, the court discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after finding that the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence linking him to the offences.
The DSS had alleged that the defendants were members of foreign terrorist groups and played key roles in the planning and execution of the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria in recent years.
The June 2022 attack shocked the nation as gunmen invaded the church during a Sunday service, killing dozens of worshippers and injuring several others.
The conviction and sentencing of the four defendants mark a major milestone in efforts by security agencies and the judiciary to bring those responsible for the attack to justice.
The judgment is expected to provide some measure of closure for the victims’ families and survivors, while reinforcing the government’s commitment to combating terrorism and violent extremism across the country.
