Court Sentences Four Men to Death Over 2022 Owo Church Attack
Court Sentences Four Men to Death Over 2022 Owo Church Attack
Court Sentences Four Men to Death Over 2022 Owo Church Attack
The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left about 141 others injured.
The convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding the four defendants guilty on nine terrorism-related charges following a trial that commenced in August 2025 and lasted about nine months.
The court convicted the men for offences including membership of a terrorist group identified as “Al-Shabaab,” allegedly operating in parts of Kogi and Ondo states under the coordination of a suspect known as Adoba, participation in meetings to plan the attack, hostage-taking, and carrying out the assault on worshippers with explosives, resulting in deaths, serious injuries and destruction of property.
In his judgment, Justice Nwite held that the prosecution had proven its case beyond reasonable doubt.
“The prosecution has successfully established the nine-count charge against the first, second, third and fourth defendants beyond reasonable doubt,” the judge ruled.
The court sentenced the convicts to life imprisonment on one count and imposed 20 years imprisonment without the option of a fine on counts two and three.
For counts four, five, six, eight and nine, the judge sentenced the four men to death by hanging.
Justice Nwite ordered that the convicts be “hanged by the neck until death,” adding, “May the Lord have mercy on your souls.”
The attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church occurred during Sunday Mass on June 5, 2022, in Owo, Ondo State. The incident shocked the nation and drew widespread condemnation from within Nigeria and the international community.
The attack remains one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria in recent years.
Court Sentences Four Men to Death Over 2022 Owo Church Attack
