A Federal High Court in Abuja has convicted and sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging for the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. The court also acquitted one of the defendants due to lack of evidence.
The four convicts, who were found guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services, DSS, on behalf of the Federal Government, are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), and Abdulhaleem Idris (25). The court held that the evidence before it established that they belonged to and actively participated in the activities of the terrorist group, which included the church attack.
The attack, carried out while the church celebrated Pentecost, resulted in the deaths of more than 40 people and serious injuries to over 100 others. The convicts, who were principal members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State, invaded the church and held worshippers hostage, during which they caused extensive destruction. It's alleged that they used improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles to perpetrate the attack in furtherance of their religious ideology.
Among the items admitted in evidence were confessional statements and a Digital Forensic Examination Report, tendered alongside a Tecno phone alleged to contain communications exchanged by the convicts before and after the terror attack. The convicts, some of whom testified in their defence, pleaded not guilty to the charge. Their team of lawyers, led by Mr Abdullahi Mohammad, urged the court to discharge and acquit them on the grounds that the prosecution failed to prove the terrorism charge.
The 1st defendant, Omeiza, testified in the Ebira language and identified himself as an auxiliary nurse. He narrated how he was apprehended in Kogi State and later moved to Ondo State, where he was arrested on August 1, 2022, after DSS operatives stormed his residence around 2 a.m. While denying his involvement in the attack, Omeiza alleged that he was detained, chained, and repeatedly beaten until he fainted.
The court declined to conduct a trial-within-a-trial after the defendants denied the confessional statements attributed to them. They alleged that they were coerced into confessing to a crime they did not commit, insisting they were not the makers of the statements. However, Justice Nwite overruled them and admitted the statements, stressing that the defence lawyers did not controvert the claim that their clients’ signatures and thumbprints were on the statements.
The court was told that the convicts held worshippers hostage during the attack with improvised explosive devices (IEDs) and AK-47 rifles. The defendants testified in their defence and pleaded not guilty to the charge, claiming the prosecution failed to prove the terrorism charge. Their team of lawyers, led by Mr Abdullahi Mohammad, urged the court to discharge and acquit them.
The confessional statements were admitted as evidence, despite the defendants claiming they were coerced into confessing. The defence lawyers did not controvert the claim that their clients’ signatures and thumbprints were on the statements, according to the court.
Reacting to the judgment, counsel to the convicts, Mr Mohammad, said he would take the matter before the Court of Appeal. The Federal Government’s lawyer, Mr Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, also said the prosecution would review the judgment to determine whether to appeal the discharge of the 5th defendant.
Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa of Ondo State and the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, commended the judiciary and security agencies for securing the conviction and death sentence of four suspects in the June 5, 2022, terror attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo. The Governor expressed relief that justice had finally been served in this case.
"We’re happy that finally those accused, four out of five, have been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging," Oba Ogunoye said. "If cases like this had been properly handled in the past and accused persons were consistently convicted in respect of kidnapping and related offences, Nigeria would have significantly reduced the wave of kidnapping and insecurity across the country."
"This judgment sends a clear message that those who take innocent lives will face the full weight of the law," he added. The Olowo further emphasized that signing death warrants is a key responsibility of the Governor's office, and those who fail to do their job are not fulfilling their duties.
The 5th defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47), was discharged for lack of evidence linking him to the attack.
The court confirmed that the convicts were principal members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State.
The attack resulted in the deaths of more than 40 people and serious injuries to over 100 others.
The Federal Government’s lawyer, Mr Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, will determine whether to appeal the discharge of the 5th defendant after reviewing the judgment. The prosecution is still considering its options.