Federal High Court Sentences Four Al-Shabaab Members To Death By Hanging Over Owo Catholic Church Massacre That Killed Over 40 Worshippers

Abuja, Nigeria– A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging for their roles in the deadly attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, an assault that claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left over 100 others injured.

The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, handed down the sentence after convicting four defendants — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25 — on a nine-count terrorism charge brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.

However, the court discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after ruling that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence linking him to the terrorist attack.

Delivering judgment, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution successfully established the guilt of the four convicted defendants beyond reasonable doubt.

According to the judge, the evidence presented before the court clearly demonstrated that the convicts were members of, and active participants in, the activities of the terrorist group responsible for the horrific attack on the Catholic church.

Justice Nwite ruled that the prosecution had proven that the four convicts were principal members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and that they actively participated in the attack on St. Francis Catholic Church during a Pentecost Sunday service.

The court heard that the attackers stormed the church while worshippers were gathered for religious activities, held several congregants hostage, and unleashed violence that resulted in widespread casualties and destruction.

According to the prosecution, the terrorists carried out the attack using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles in furtherance of their extremist religious ideology.

The Federal Government, through the DSS, presented extensive evidence during the trial in an effort to establish the involvement of the defendants in the massacre.

To prove its case, the prosecution called a total of 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits before the court. The exhibits included confessional statements allegedly made by some of the defendants as well as a digital forensic examination report.

Among the materials admitted in evidence was a technophone device which investigators said contained communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the attack.

The court also heard chilling testimony from one of the prosecution witnesses, a Catholic priest who survived the massacre.

The priest narrated how the attackers invaded the church and detonated at least three explosive devices within the premises, causing panic, chaos and bloodshed among worshippers who had gathered for the Pentecost celebration.

The witness recounted the terrifying moments as worshippers scrambled for safety while gunshots and explosions rang out inside the church, leaving scores dead and many others critically wounded.

In his judgment, Justice Nwite held that the totality of the evidence presented by the prosecution firmly linked the four convicted defendants to the terrorist attack.

The judge stated that the evidence, including witness testimonies, confessional statements and forensic findings, established beyond reasonable doubt that the convicts participated in the planning and execution of the attack.

He consequently found them guilty on the terrorism charges and sentenced them to death by hanging.

The court, however, ruled differently in respect of the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar.

Justice Nwite held that the prosecution failed to establish a direct connection between Abubakar and the attack, adding that the evidence presented against him was insufficient to sustain a conviction.

He was therefore discharged and acquitted of all charges.

The June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo remains one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history.

The massacre, which occurred during a Pentecost Sunday service, left dozens of worshippers dead while more than 100 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.