The terrorist attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, left over 40 worshippers killed and about 141 others injured on 5 June 2022.
The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, that left over 40 worshippers killed and about 141 others injured.
They were convicted of terrorism offences, including belonging to a terrorist organisation known as “Al-Shabaab” operating in parts of Kogi and Ondo states under the coordination of one “Adoba”, attending meetings for the planning of the terrorist attack, hostage taking and attacking the congregation explosives resulting in death, grievous bodily harm, and destruction.
Judge Emeka Nwite handed down the sentence after convicting the four men on nine terrorism-related charges in his judgement on Wednesday following about nine months of trial that started in August last year.
He discharged and acquitted Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, who is the fifth defendant and the oldest among the five defendants prosecuted for the bloody, fatal attack on the church in JUne 2022.
About 40 worshippers were killed and 141 others were said to be injured during the 5 June 2022 Sunday mass attack on the church in Owo in the northern part of Ondo State.
Having found the four men guilty of the nine counts, the judge imposed life imprisonment on them for one of the charges. He also imposed 20 years imprisonment without option of fine on the convicts on counts two and three.
He imposed death sentences on counts four, five, six, eight and nine.
The judge ordered that the convicts be “hanged by the neck until death.” “May the Lord have mercy on your souls,” he ruled.
Mr Nwite delivered the judgement in the terrorism case after reviewing evidence presented by the prosecution and defence over three hours.
“The prosecution has successfully established the nine-count charge against the first, second, third and fourth defendants beyond reasonable doubt,” he ruled.
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, 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 State Security Service (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.
In his judgement on Wednesday, the judge held that after a careful review of the evidence presented by the prosecution and the defence, it was “clear” that the four convicted men belonged to a proscribed terrorist group known as “Al-Shabaab” operating in parts of Kogi and Ondo states under the coordination of one “Adoba.”
The judge said the evidence of the prosecution witness was not shaken, while their confessional statements corroborated the prosecution’s case.
“From the foregoing, it is clear as day that the first, second, third and fourth defendants belong to a proscribed terrorist group, Al-Shabaab,” Judge Nwite ruled.
