Court Sentences Four Members of Al-Shabaab Terr%rist Group to Dea@th Over Owo Church Att@ck, Acquits One Suspect

The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terr%rist group to de@th by hanging for their roles in the June 5, 2022, att@ck on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.

The convicted defendants Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris were found guilty on a nine-count terr%rism charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government. A fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged after the court found insufficient evidence linking him to the cr+me.

Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite held that the prosecution successfully proved its case beyond reasonable doubt, noting that evidence presented before the court established the defendants’ membership and active involvement in the terr%rist group, including their participation in the Owo church att@ck.

The de@dly att@ck occurred during a Pentecost service and claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers, while over 100 others sustained inj¥ries.

According to the prosecution, the convicts were key members of an Al-Shabaab cell operating in Kogi State and carried out the att@ck using improvised expl%sive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles. The court heard that the assa+lants invaded the church, held worshippers hostage, and caused widespread destr¥ction.

To support its case, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements, a digital forensic report, and a mobile phone allegedly containing communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the att@ck.

Among those who testified was a Catholic priest who recounted the events of the incident and told the court that multiple expl%sive devices were detonated inside the church during the att@ck.

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