By Ghazali Ibrahim
A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four terrorists to death by hanging for their roles in the June 5, 2022 attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of 43 worshippers.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding the defendants guilty on all nine counts filed against them.
The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), and Abdulhaleem Idris (25).
The court ordered that the four men be hanged until death for their involvement in the deadly attack that shocked the nation and drew widespread condemnation.
However, a fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47), was discharged and acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence to sustain the charges against him.
The June 2022 attack occurred during a church service at Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, when gunmen opened fire and detonated explosives, killing dozens of worshippers and injuring many others.
The incident remains one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria in recent years.
Wednesday’s judgment brings to a close a major prosecution arising from the attack, with the court holding the four convicts responsible for terrorism-related offences linked to the massacre.
