The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging over their involvement in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The attack, which occurred on June 5, 2022, during a Pentecost service, claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left over 100 others injured.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite convicted Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25, on a nine-count terrorism charge instituted by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted a fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish sufficient evidence linking him to the attack.
Justice Nwite held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the four convicts were active members of the terrorist group responsible for the massacre at the Catholic church.
According to the court, evidence presented during the trial showed that the convicts belonged to an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and participated directly in the assault on the church.
The prosecution told the court that the attackers stormed the church premises during worship, held congregants hostage and carried out coordinated attacks using improvised explosive devices and AK-47 rifles.
The violence triggered chaos inside the church and resulted in heavy casualties and destruction.
To support its case, the prosecution presented 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements and a digital forensic examination report.
Among the exhibits admitted by the court was a technophone device allegedly containing communications exchanged among the defendants before and after the attack.
A Catholic priest who survived the incident testified before the court, recounting how the attackers detonated at least three explosive devices inside the church, causing panic and widespread bloodshed among worshippers.
Justice Nwite ruled that the totality of the evidence firmly connected the four convicts to the terrorist operation and justified their conviction on all counts related to terrorism and the Owo church attack.
