A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four terrorists to death for their involvement in the June 5, 2022, terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of 41 worshippers and left more than 140 others injured.
The judgment was delivered on Wednesday by Justice Emeka Nwite, who found the defendants guilty of terrorism-related offences brought against them by the Department of State Services (DSS). The prosecution had urged the court to impose the maximum punishment prescribed by law, arguing that the scale and brutality of the attack warranted the death penalty.
The convicts were among five men standing trial over their alleged roles in the deadly assault on the church during a Sunday Mass in Owo. The defendants had been charged on multiple counts of terrorism following investigations by security agencies.
The court’s verdict followed the conclusion of a lengthy trial during which the DSS called several witnesses and tendered evidence, including confessional statements that were admitted after the court conducted a trial-within-trial to determine their voluntariness.
Before the judgment, counsel to the DSS, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), had asked the court to convict the defendants and impose the death penalty because of the gravity of the offence. Defence counsel, Abdullahi Mohammad, had urged the court to discharge and acquit his clients, arguing that the prosecution failed to establish its case beyond a reasonable doubt.
The Owo church attack, one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history, shocked the nation and attracted widespread condemnation both locally and internationally. The attack occurred during a Pentecost Sunday service at St. Francis Catholic Church, leaving scores dead and many others wounded.
Further details of the judgment, including the fate of the fifth defendant and specific sentences on each count, are expected to emerge as the court proceedings are fully reported.
