A Federal High Court in Abuja has 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.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding the defendants guilty of terrorism-related offences brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.
The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25.
The court, however, acquitted and discharged a fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after ruling that the prosecution failed to provide sufficient evidence linking him to the attack.
In his judgment, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution successfully proved beyond reasonable doubt that the four convicted men were active members of the terrorist group responsible for the attack.
The court found that the convicts belonged to an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and participated in the assault on the church during a Pentecost service.
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More than 40 worshippers were killed and over 100 others sustained injuries when gunmen invaded the church and carried out the attack.
According to the prosecution, the attackers stormed the church, held worshippers hostage, and unleashed violence using AK-47 rifles and improvised explosive devices.
To support its case, the prosecution presented 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements and digital forensic evidence.
Among the exhibits admitted by the court was a mobile device that allegedly contained communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the attack.
A Catholic priest who survived the incident testified during the trial, recounting how the attackers detonated multiple explosive devices inside the church, causing panic and widespread casualties among worshippers.
Justice Nwite ruled that the evidence presented clearly established the involvement of the four convicts in the attack, leading to their conviction and death sentences on the terrorism charges.
