Court Sentences Four To Death Over 2022 St Francis Church Massacre in Owo

By Ayo Kehinde

Four years after one of Nigeria’s deadliest attacks on a place of worship, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, on Wednesday, sentenced four persons to death by hanging for their involvement in the terrorist attack on worshippers at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owaluwa, Owo, Ondo State.

The court, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, held that the Department of State Services (DSS) successfully proved its case against four of the five defendants standing trial, finding them guilty on multiple terrorism-related charges connected to the June 5, 2022, attack.

The attack, which occurred during a Pentecost Sunday service, claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left over 100 others injured, making it one of the most devastating assaults on civilians in Nigeria in recent years.

Those sentenced to death are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), and Abdulhaleem Idris (25). However, the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47), was discharged and acquitted after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement beyond a reasonable doubt.

The DSS arrested and arraigned the suspects  (Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar) in August 2022, shortly after the attack. They were subsequently charged on a nine-count amended charge bordering on terrorism and related offences.

All five defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.

During the trial, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements, forensic reports, and a mobile device allegedly containing communications exchanged among the defendants before and after the attack.

The prosecution maintained that the convicts were members of a terrorist cell operating from Kogi State and had carried out the church attack using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and assault rifles in a coordinated operation driven by extremist ideology.

A Catholic priest who survived the attack also testified before the court, narrating how multiple explosive devices detonated during the church service, triggering chaos and panic as worshippers struggled to escape amid mounting casualties.

At the last adjourned hearing, DSS counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe, argued that evidence presented before the court had sufficiently linked the defendants to the attack and urged the court to impose the maximum punishment prescribed by law.

Delivering judgement on Wednesday, Justice Nwite said that after a careful review of the evidence presented by both the prosecution and the defence, it was evident that the convicted defendants belonged to a proscribed terrorist organisation identified as “Al-Shabaab”.

The judge consequently convicted the first to fourth defendants on count one relating to membership of a terrorist organisation, while acquitting the fifth defendant on the same count.

Justice Nwite also convicted the first to fourth defendants on count two, holding that the prosecution’s evidence remained credible and was not effectively challenged by the defence.

On count three, the court found the four convicts guilty as masterminds of the attack in connection with a meeting allegedly held on May 30, 2022, while the fifth defendant was discharged and acquitted.

The court further convicted the four defendants on counts four and five, while clearing the fifth defendant of all allegations connected to those charges.

On count six relating to terrorism financing, Justice Nwite ruled that the prosecution failed to establish that Momoh Otuho Abubakar financed the attack and accordingly discharged and acquitted him.

The convicted men were found guilty on multiple offences, including membership of a terrorist organisation, holding terrorist meetings, aiding and abetting terrorist acts, conspiracy, hostage-taking, kidnapping, hijacking, issuing threats, unlawful possession and use of explosives and dangerous weapons, as well as participating in activities intended to support a proscribed group.

The judgement brings to a close a legal process spanning four years and marks a significant development in efforts to secure justice for victims of one of Nigeria’s most shocking acts of terror.