The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging for their role in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25.
They were convicted 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 cleared and discharged after the court found no evidence linking him to the attack.
Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite ruled that the prosecution proved its case against the four men beyond reasonable doubt.
According to the court, evidence showed the convicts were members of the terrorist group and took part in the church attack.
The assault happened during a Pentecost service, leaving more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured.
The prosecution said the defendants were key members of an Al-Shabaab cell operating in Kogi State. It told the court that the attackers stormed the church, held worshippers hostage and carried out widespread destruction using improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles.
To support its case, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and presented 23 exhibits, including confessional statements, a digital forensic report and a Technophone said to contain communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the attack.
A Catholic priest who testified described how the attackers detonated at least three explosives inside the church during the service.
Justice Nwite held that the witness testimonies and exhibits clearly linked the four defendants to the attack. He convicted them and sentenced them to death by hanging.
