A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four members of a terrorist group to death by hanging for their involvement in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which claimed dozens of lives in June 2022.
The convicts, identified as Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al-Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris, were found guilty on multiple terrorism-related charges brought against them by the Department of State Services on behalf of the Federal Government.
However, a fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted after the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence linking him to the attack.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the prosecution successfully established its case against the four defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the judge, the evidence presented before the court clearly showed that the convicts were active members of a terrorist network and played direct roles in the attack on the Catholic church.
The court heard that the assailants struck during a Pentecost service on June 5, 2022, killing more than 40 worshippers and leaving over 100 others with varying degrees of injuries.
Evidence presented during the trial indicated that the convicted terrorists were members of a cell operating from Kogi State and participated in the planning and execution of the attack.
They were accused of storming the church, holding worshippers hostage and causing widespread devastation within the premises.
The prosecution further alleged that the attackers deployed improvised explosive devices and assault rifles during the operation, which was carried out in pursuit of extremist objectives.
To support its case, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits before the court. Among the exhibits admitted were confessional statements attributed to the defendants, a digital forensic report, and a mobile device said to contain communications exchanged before and after the attack.
One of the witnesses, a Catholic priest who survived the incident, recounted the horrifying events that unfolded during the service, including the detonation of multiple explosive devices inside the church.
Following a review of the evidence, the court convicted the four defendants and imposed the death penalty by hanging, bringing an end to a high-profile terrorism trial linked to one of Nigeria’s deadliest attacks on a place of worship.