Owo church attack: Court sentences four terrorists to death by hanging

By Lawrence Agbo

More than three years after the gruesome attack on worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, justice has been delivered as a Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four terrorists to death by hanging for their roles in the massacre.

Justice Emeka Nwite handed down the verdict on Wednesday after finding Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris guilty of terrorism offences linked to the June 2022 attack at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo that left over 40 people dead and more than 100 injured.

The four men were prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government on a nine-count terrorism charge.

While convicting the defendants, the court ruled that the evidence presented established their direct involvement in the operation of a terrorist network and their participation in the deadly church assault.

A fifth suspect, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted after the court found that prosecutors failed to sufficiently connect him to the incident.

During the trial, prosecutors argued that the convicts belonged to a terrorist group based in Kogi State and were among those who attacked worshippers gathered for a Pentecostal service in Owo.

The court heard that the assailants invaded the church armed with assault rifles and explosive devices, causing widespread carnage and destruction.

To support its case, the prosecution presented 11 witnesses and submitted 23 exhibits, including confessional statements, forensic evidence and electronic communications allegedly linked to the defendants.

One of the key witnesses, a priest who survived the attack, narrated how explosions ripped through the church before gunmen opened fire on terrified worshippers.

In delivering judgment, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution successfully proved the charges beyond reasonable doubt, noting that the combined witness testimonies, forensic reports and documentary evidence clearly established the guilt of the four men.