Owo Church Attack: Court Sentences Four Terrorists To Death By Hanging
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging for their involvement in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed dozens of lives during a Pentecost service in June 2022.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding the defendants guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.
The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25. However, the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, was acquitted and discharged after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish any direct link between him and the attack.
In his ruling, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution successfully proved its case against the four defendants beyond reasonable doubt, relying on both oral and documentary evidence presented during the trial.
According to the court, the evidence established that the convicts were active members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and played key roles in planning and executing the attack on the Catholic church in Owo on June 5, 2022.
The judge noted that the attack, carried out while worshippers were observing Pentecost celebrations, left more than 40 people dead and over 100 others injured, making it one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria's recent history.
Court records showed that the terrorists stormed the church premises during the service, held worshippers hostage and unleashed violence that caused widespread casualties and destruction.
The prosecution alleged that the attackers deployed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles during the operation, which it said was carried out in furtherance of the group's extremist religious ideology.
To secure the convictions, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits before the court.
Among the exhibits admitted in evidence were the defendants' confessional statements, a digital forensic analysis report and a Technophone device allegedly used to exchange communications before and after the attack.
One of the key witnesses, a Catholic priest who survived the assault, recounted the horrifying events that unfolded inside the church. He told the court that the attackers detonated at least three explosive devices within the worship centre, triggering panic and chaos among congregants before opening fire on fleeing worshippers.
The testimony formed part of the evidence that the court relied upon in reaching its verdict.
With the judgment, the four convicts face the death penalty by hanging, while the acquitted defendant regains his freedom after spending years standing trial over the attack.