Owo Church Attack: Court Sentences Four Men to Death by Hanging

• Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentenced four suspects to death by hanging for the June 5, 2022 attack on a church in Owo
• The convicted men faced a nine count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services over the attack that killed more than 40 worshippers
• A fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted by the court after standing trial alongside the four convicted individuals

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A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for the 2022 attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.

Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday, June 3, Channels TV reported.

The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25, Al Qasim Idris, 20, Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26, and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25. They faced a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services.

More than 40 worshippers lost their lives during the June 5, 2022 attack. Over 100 others suffered various degrees of injury.

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The fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, was discharged and acquitted by the court, Punch reported.

What evidence linked the men to church massacre?

The judge held that the prosecution successfully established the guilt of the four convicts beyond reasonable doubt.

The evidence clearly showed they were active members of a terrorist cell operating in Kogi State. The court found they took part in the assault on the church during a Pentecost service.

According to the prosecution, the attackers stormed the church and held worshippers hostage. They unleashed violence that resulted in massive casualties. The assailants used improvised explosive devices and AK-47 rifles to advance their extremist religious ideology.

How did prosecutors build their case?

The prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits. These included confessional statements and a digital forensic examination report.

Among the exhibits was a technophone device alleged to contain communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the attack.

One prosecution witness, a Catholic priest who survived the incident, gave a chilling account. He described how the assailants detonated at least three explosive devices inside the church. The explosions triggered panic and bloodshed among worshippers.

Justice Nwite ruled that the totality of the evidence firmly linked the four convicts to the attack. He stated that this justified their conviction on the terrorism charges.

Names, photos of 7 worshippers who died in Owo church attack

Some names and photos of victims who were in church when gunmen carried out the deadly attack at the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo state have been revealed.

In a report by Legit.ng, a list of names and photos of victims of the Owo church attack have been published.

Military arrests Owo attackers, names top mastermind

Recall that terrorists launched a deadly attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo, and killing scores had been arrested.

The Defence Headquarters in a meeting with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, August 8, confirmed the arrest.

CDS Irabor, making the revelation, said the arrest was the result of an effective collaboration of the Nigerian military and other sister security agencies.