The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in the deadly terrorist attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, which occurred on Pentecost Sunday. The attack resulted in the deaths of at least 41 worshippers and left dozens more injured.
Justice Emeka Nwite convicted Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), and Abdulhaleem Idris (25) on all nine counts of terrorism charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS). The fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47), was discharged and acquitted.
On Count 1, which involved membership of the proscribed terrorist group Al-Shabab (an ISWAP affiliate), the court sentenced the four convicts to life imprisonment. For Counts 2 and 3, related to conspiracy to commit terrorism, each received 20 years imprisonment. On Counts 4 to 9, which covered kidnapping, hostage-taking, and the actual terrorist act of shooting worshippers and detonating explosives, the court imposed the death sentence by hanging.
The court ruled that the prosecution had proved its case beyond reasonable doubt. Evidence presented included survivor testimonies, phone tracking data, cell tower records, confessional statements, and forensic exhibits. The defendants were alleged to be members of Al-Shabab operating from Okene in Kogi State and were directly linked to the planning and execution of the attack.
The defense challenged the admissibility of the confessional statements, alleging they were obtained under duress through torture, including beatings and electric shocks. However, the court overruled the request for a trial-within-trial and admitted the statements as evidence.
The trial, which experienced several delays, featured the DSS calling 11 witnesses, including protected witnesses and a survivor who testified from a wheelchair. A total of 23 exhibits were tendered. The prosecution, led by Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, had sought the maximum penalty.
This verdict delivers a significant measure of justice for one of the most shocking terrorist attacks on a place of worship in recent Nigerian history. No group officially claimed responsibility for the attack at the time.
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