Breaking: Court sentences four to death over Owo church attack

By Tolulope Oke

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging over the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25.

They were found guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services, DSS, on behalf of the Federal Government.

A fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, was discharged by the court after the prosecution failed to establish evidence linking him to the attack.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the prosecution proved its case against the four defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

The judge said the evidence before the court established that the convicts belonged to, and actively participated in, the activities of the terrorist group that carried out the deadly church attack.

The attack on St. Francis Catholic Church took place during Pentecost service and left more than 40 worshippers dead, while over 100 others sustained injuries.

The court heard that the convicts were principal members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State.

They were accused of invading the church, holding worshippers hostage and causing massive destruction with improvised explosive devices and AK-47 rifles.

Prosecutors told the court that the attack was carried out in furtherance of the group’s extremist religious ideology.

To prove its case, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits before the court.

The exhibits included confessional statements, a digital forensic examination report and a Technophone allegedly containing communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the attack.

Among the witnesses was a Catholic priest, who gave a chilling account of how the attackers detonated at least three explosives inside the church during the service.

The court subsequently convicted the four defendants and sentenced them to death by hanging.