The 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 gruesome attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, an assault that left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured.
The trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, handed down the death sentence after finding the four defendants guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Nigerian government.
Those convicted are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25.
However, the court discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a sufficient link between him and the deadly terrorist attack.
Delivering judgment, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution successfully proved its case against the four convicts beyond reasonable doubt.
The judge stated that the evidence presented before the court clearly established that the convicted persons were members of, and active participants in, the terrorist group responsible for carrying out the attack on the Catholic church during a Pentecost Sunday service.
Justice Nwite said the totality of the evidence before the court firmly connected the four defendants to the planning and execution of the massacre.
According to the court’s findings, the convicts were principal members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and actively participated in the assault on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, during worship activities attended by hundreds of parishioners.
The prosecution told the court that the attackers stormed the church premises, held worshippers hostage and unleashed a coordinated attack that resulted in massive casualties, injuries and widespread destruction.
Investigators said the assailants deployed improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles during the operation, carrying out the attack in furtherance of their extremist religious ideology.
To establish the charges, the prosecution called a total of 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits before the court.
Among the exhibits admitted in evidence were confessional statements allegedly made by the defendants, a digital forensic examination report and a technophone device said to contain communications exchanged by the accused persons before and after the attack.
The court heard that forensic analysis of electronic devices recovered from the suspects provided critical evidence linking them to the terrorist network and the planning of the attack.
One of the key prosecution witnesses, a Catholic priest who survived the massacre, gave account of the events that unfolded on the day of the attack.
The witness narrated how heavily armed attackers invaded the church while worshippers were observing Pentecost Sunday service and detonated at least three explosive devices inside the church building.
According to his testimony, the explosions triggered panic and confusion among worshippers as gunmen simultaneously opened fire, causing scores of deaths and severe injuries.
The witness recounted scenes of bloodshed and chaos as victims struggled to escape from the church while others lay wounded from gunshot injuries and blast impacts.
In his judgment, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution’s evidence was credible, consistent and compelling enough to establish the involvement of the four defendants in the terrorist attack.
Justice Nwite further ruled that the evidence before the court demonstrated that the convicted persons were active members of the terrorist cell responsible for the Owo church massacre and therefore liable for the consequences of their actions.
Meanwhile, the court convicted Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris on the terrorism charges and sentenced them to death by hanging.
The court, however, ruled differently in the case of Momoh Otuho Abubakar, holding that the prosecution failed to present sufficient evidence linking him directly to the attack.
As a result, Abubakar was 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 attack shocked the nation and drew widespread condemnation from religious leaders, civil society groups, human rights organisations and members of the international community.
The massacre occurred during a Pentecost Sunday service attended by hundreds of worshippers, with gunmen reportedly opening fire and detonating explosive devices within the church premises.
More than 40 people were killed in the attack, while over 100 others sustained varying degrees of injuries.
(SaharaReporters)