A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their involvement in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left over 100 others injured.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday, finding the defendants guilty of terrorism-related offences brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS).
The case, filed under charge number FHC/ABJ/CR/301/2025, relates to the June 5, 2022 attack in which armed assailants stormed the church during a Pentecost Sunday service, opened fire on worshippers, and detonated explosive devices.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite stated that the prosecution successfully established its case beyond reasonable doubt, leading to the conviction of four of the five defendants standing trial.
The court held that the convicts were key members of an Al-Shabaab-linked terrorist cell operating in Kogi State. According to the judgment, they joined the group in 2021 and participated in planning meetings held in Kogi and Ondo states shortly before the attack.
The court further found that the group carried out the assault on the church on June 5, 2022, holding worshippers hostage and using improvised explosive devices as well as AK-47 rifles during the operation.
Those sentenced to death are:
- Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25
- Al Qasim Idris, 20
- Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26
- Abdulhaleem Idris, 25
However, the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, was discharged and acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence linking him to the crime.
The five suspects were arrested in August 2022 across Kogi and Ondo states following investigations that reportedly employed geospatial network filtering technology to track phone activity connected to the attack area.
The Owo church attack remains one of Nigeria’s deadliest assaults on a place of worship in recent years, drawing widespread condemnation both within the country and internationally.
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