Four individuals have been sentenced to death by hanging for their roles in the June 5, 2022 attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja delivered the judgment on Wednesday, convicting Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), and Abdulhaleem Idris (25) on all nine counts of terrorism. The charges included membership in the proscribed terrorist group Al-Shabab, an affiliate of ISWAP, conspiracy to commit terrorist acts, kidnapping, hostage-taking, and the killing of over 40 worshippers. The attack occurred during Pentecost Sunday mass and led to widespread national outrage.
The defendants were among five individuals indicted by the Department of State Services (DSS) in connection with the massacre. The fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47), was discharged and acquitted after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a case against him. The trial began on August 1, 2025, with the DSS presenting witnesses and confessional statements, which were admitted into evidence after a trial-within-trial confirmed they were given voluntarily. The prosecution, led by Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), urged the court to impose the maximum penalty due to the gravity of the crime. The defense, represented by Abdullahi Mohammad, called for acquittal, arguing that the prosecution did not prove its case.
Justice Nwite ruled that the prosecution had proven its case against the four beyond reasonable doubt. He emphasized the severity of the acts and the evidence linking the convicts to the terrorist organization and the coordinated violence at the church. The sentencing marks one of the most significant judicial outcomes in connection with attacks on religious worshippers in Nigeria.
The court convicted four men for a massacre that killed over 40 people, yet one suspect walked free despite being indicted alongside them. This split verdict raises questions about the consistency of evidence linking each accused to the crime. The same investigation that secured convictions for four failed to sustain charges against the fifth. Nigerians named in the trial now live with the reality that justice, while delivered for some, rests on distinctions the court did not fully explain.
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