A federal high court in Abuja has sentenced four terrorists to death by hanging for their roles in the brutal attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the verdict on Wednesday, convicting the four men on all nine counts brought by the Federal Government.
The condemned are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25. The court, however, discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after prosecutors failed to prove his involvement.
The attack, carried out by terrorists linked to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) on June 5, 2022, left more than 40 worshipers dead and many others injured. The ruling brings a measure of closure to a community still reeling from one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in recent Nigerian history.
