A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which occurred on June 5, 2022, during a Pentecost Sunday service. The attack, one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history, claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left over 100 others injured.

Delivering judgment, Justice Emeka Nwite found the defendants guilty on multiple terrorism-related charges, including terrorism financing, kidnapping, hostage-taking, conspiracy, and the use of explosives that resulted in deaths and injuries. The convicted men were identified as Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris.

The court heard that the convicts participated in planning and executing the attack, allegedly operating from a terrorist cell in Kogi State. Prosecutors presented witness testimonies, confessional statements, and forensic evidence linking the defendants to the massacre. A fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted after the court ruled that there was insufficient evidence to connect him to the crime.

In addition to the death sentence, the four convicts were also handed life imprisonment terms for membership of a terrorist organization and 20 years imprisonment each for conspiracy. The judgment is being viewed as a major milestone in Nigeria’s efforts to prosecute terrorism-related crimes and deliver justice to victims of violent attacks.

The Owo church attack shocked the nation and drew widespread condemnation from local and international communities. Worshippers were attending Mass at the church when gunmen and explosives struck, turning a religious celebration into a tragedy that left families devastated and the entire Owo community in mourning.