A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four persons linked to the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, to death by hanging.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25, Al Qasim Idris, 20, Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26, and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25, guilty of terrorism-related offences filed against them 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, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement in the attack.
In his judgment, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the four convicts were members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State, and actively participated in the attack on the Catholic church during a Pentecost Sunday service.
The assailants had reportedly stormed the church while service was ongoing, detonating improvised explosive devices, and opening fire on congregants, leaving more than 40 people dead and over 100 others injured.
The Owo church massacre remains one of the most devastating attacks on a religious gathering in Nigeria’s recent history, with many worshippers killed, and many others left with life-altering injuries.
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