A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced four men convicted for their roles in the gruesome attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, to death by hanging, bringing a major legal chapter in one of Nigeria's deadliest attacks on a place of worship to a close.
Trial judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, found the four defendants guilty on all nine counts of terrorism-related charges filed against them by the Department of State Services (DSS) and ordered that they be hanged until they are dead.
Those sentenced to death 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, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish his involvement in the attack beyond reasonable doubt.
The judgment followed a lengthy trial arising from the June 2022 massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, where armed attackers struck during a Sunday worship service, unleashing terror on congregants.
The assault left at least 41 worshippers dead and 69 others injured after the attackers reportedly opened fire and hurled explosives into the church, turning a solemn religious gathering into a scene of carnage.
The incident drew widespread condemnation within and outside Nigeria and heightened concerns about the growing threat of terrorism and violent extremism across the country.
Following investigations, the DSS arrested the five suspects and subsequently arraigned them before the Federal High Court on a nine-count charge bordering on terrorism offences.
To prove its case, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered several exhibits linking the defendants to the attack.
A key aspect of the trial was the admission of confessional statements made by the accused persons. The defence had challenged the statements, prompting the court to conduct a trial-within-trial to determine whether they were obtained voluntarily.
After reviewing the evidence, Justice Nwite ruled that the statements were voluntarily made and admitted them as evidence in the case.
Last week, lawyers representing both the prosecution and the defendants adopted their final written addresses and presented their closing arguments before the court reserved judgment.
Delivering the verdict on Wednesday, the judge held that the prosecution had successfully proved its case against four of the defendants beyond reasonable doubt.
He consequently imposed the death penalty on the four convicts, while freeing the fifth defendant.
The ruling is expected to be welcomed by survivors of the attack and relatives of the victims, many of whom have waited years for justice over the tragedy that shook the nation.
The judgment also underscores the government's determination to prosecute individuals linked to acts of terrorism and bring perpetrators of mass violence to justice.
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