The judge delivered the judgement in the terrorism case after reviewing evidence presented by the prosecution and defence over three hours.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday convicted four men over their involvement in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
About 40 worshippers were killed and 140 others injured during the 5 June 2022 Sunday mass.
Judge Emeka Nwite delivered the judgement in the terrorism case after reviewing evidence presented by the prosecution and defence over three hours.
The judge held that the “prosecution has proven the charge against the defendants.” He said it is “clear” that four of the defendants belonged to a proscribed terrorist group known as Al-Shabaab.
The court convicted the first to the fourth defendants on count one for belonging to the terrorist group and acquitted the fifth defendant on that count.
On count two, the court convicted the first third and fourth defendants. The judge said the prosecution’s evidence “remains credible” and was not effectively challenged by the defendants.
On count three, the court convicts the first to fourth defendants as the masterminds of the attack in connection with a meeting held on 30 May 2022, while the judge discharges and acquits the fifth defendant on that count.
On counts four and five, the court also convicts the first to fourth defendants, while the fifth defendant is discharged and acquitted.
On count six, the fifth defendant was charged mainly with financing terrorism in connection with the attack.
But the judge said that the prosecution “did not prove that he financed the attack, the judge discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant.”
The judge is still determining the remaining counts as of the time of filing this report.
The attack occurred during a Pentecost Sunday Mass at St Francis Catholic Church in Owo in June 2022.
Gunmen reportedly opened fire and detonated explosives inside and around the church, killing at least 41 worshippers and injuring more than 140 others. The incident triggered national outrage and condemnation from local and international bodies.
However , the defendants were arraigned in August last year, about three years after the attack, before the Federal High Court in Abuja on terrorism charges filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi.
Prosecutors alleged that the suspects belonged to an Al Shabaab cell operating in Kogi State and that they planned and carried out the deadly church attack as part of a violent religious agenda. The defendants pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The trial formally opened in December 2025 when the prosecution called its first witness, a Catholic priest who conducted the Mass on the day of the attack. Under a court approved witness protection arrangement, many of the witnesses testified with coded identities.
During the proceedings, survivors of the attack, church members, Amotekun operatives, and SSS investigators testified before the court. Some witnesses narrated how the attackers stormed the church and opened fire on worshippers attempting to flee. Others described the aftermath of the attack and the efforts made to track down the suspects.
One of the prosecution witnesses identified two of the defendants in court as part of the attackers he saw inside the church during the assault. Another witness, who testified in a wheelchair, told the court she lost both legs and one eye after explosives detonated during the attack.
The prosecution eventually closed its case after calling 11 witnesses. The final prosecution witness, an SSS digital forensic expert identified as SSK, told the court that investigators used phone tracking, geospatial analysis, and cell tower triangulation to trace and arrest the suspects.
During the trial, the court also conducted a trial-within-trial after the defence challenged the admissibility of the defendants’ confessional statements. The defence argued that the statements were obtained under duress. However, Judge Nwite admitted the statements in evidence after ruling on the objections.
The defence later opened its case and urged the court to reject the prosecution’s evidence and acquit the defendants.
On 4 March, the first defendant, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, testified before the Federal High Court in Abuja. Led in evidence by his lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammed, the 25 year old auxiliary nurse denied involvement in the Owo church attack.
Mr Omeiza narrated how SSS operatives allegedly arrested him at his residence in Kogi State on 1 August 2022 after they stormed the house around 2 a.m. He said the operatives later moved him to Ondo State and repeatedly asked him to confess to involvement in the attack.
“They asked me to tell the truth, but I said I had nothing to tell them,” he told the court.
Mr Omeiza alleged that the operatives chained and beat him until he fainted and later forced him to sign statements. He insisted that the statements were not voluntary.
Also, in March, another defendant, Mr Abdulmalik, denied involvement in the church attack while testifying in his defence. He told the court that SSS operatives arrested him in 2022 while he travelled from Ondo State to Kogi State.
Mr Abdulmalik alleged that he was tortured in custody and forced to sign statements implicating him in the attack. He maintained that he had no connection with the incident.
..More details later.
