Four years after the attack, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja on Wednesday sentenced four members of the Al-Shabaab terrorist group to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.
The attack left more than 40 worshippers dead and over 100 others injured.
Justice Emeka Nwite made the declaration after convicting Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25, on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services on behalf of the Federal Government.
The court, however, discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, Momoh Abubakar, 47, after finding insufficient evidence linking him to the terrorist attack.
Ondo State Governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa and the Olowo of Owo, Oba Ajibade Ogunoye, expressed delight over the development, saying justice had been served.
The Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Jude Arogundade, also commended the judgment, though he lamented that the scar still remains with the church.
Justice Nwite, in his judgment, held that the prosecution successfully established the guilt of the four convicts beyond a reasonable doubt, noting that the evidence before the court clearly showed that they were members of, and active participants in, the activities of the terrorist group responsible for the deadly church attack.
The court found that the convicts were principal members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and that they took part in the assault on the church during a Pentecost service.
According to the prosecution, the attackers stormed the church, held worshippers hostage and unleashed violence that resulted in massive casualties and destruction.
They were said to have used improvised explosive devices and AK-47 rifles in carrying out the attack in furtherance of their extremist religious ideology.
To establish its case, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements and a digital forensic examination report.
Among the exhibits admitted by the court was a Technophone device alleged to contain communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the attack.
One of the prosecution witnesses, a Catholic priest who survived the incident, gave a chilling account of how the assailants detonated at least three explosive devices inside the church, triggering panic and bloodshed among worshippers.
Justice Nwite held that the totality of the evidence presented by the prosecution firmly linked the four convicts to the attack and justified their conviction on the terrorism charges.
Hailing the judgment, Aiyedatiwa commended the judiciary and the security agencies.
In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Ebenezer Adeniyan, on Wednesday, the governor described the court verdict as a “victory for justice, the rule of law, and for all victims of the heinous attack that claimed the lives of innocent worshippers and left many others injured.”
The governor said, “The diligence of the prosecution team, the thoroughness of investigators, and the courage of the judiciary have shown that our government will not tolerate acts of terror or violence against its people.
“This judgment sends a clear message that those who take innocent lives will face the full weight of the law, no matter how long it takes.”
Aiyedatiwa expressed appreciation to the people of Owo and the Catholic community who, despite the trauma, remained steadfast and committed to peace.
In the same vein, Oba Ogunoye urged the government and security agencies to look more into the matter and further prosecute whoever was involved in the massacre, directly or indirectly.
“I think we’re happy that finally those accused, four out of five, have been convicted and sentenced to death by hanging.
“I would say to a large extent, it is justice served. I think this would be a great relief to the people of our area, particularly, and to Nigerians generally, over what happened at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo.
“I must thank the Federal Government, particularly the DSS, for their efforts towards diligent prosecution of the accused, now the convicted, and the judiciary for living up to the expectations of our people.
“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, to a large extent, have significantly reduced the wave of kidnapping and insecurity across the country.”
Bishop Arogundade, in his reaction, said, “It will be four years on June 5, that’s tomorrow. The attack on our wall has been a life changer for us in the Catholic diocese of Ondo, and indeed, in the whole of Ondo state.
“Because that is one of the worst incidents that we have ever had in Ondo State, where people in the church on Sunday are praying, where everybody thinks that should be the safest place.
Bishop Arogundade, in his reaction, said, “It will be four years on June 5, that’s tomorrow. The attack on our wall has been a life-changer for us in the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, and indeed, in the whole of Ondo State.
“Because that is one of the worst incidents that we have ever had in Ondo State, with people in church on Sunday praying, a place where everybody thinks should be the safest.
“In fact, one of the seminarians here with me now lost both parents. The father and the mother were killed during that incident.
“Well, people will say at least justice was done, some level of justice was done, but, at the same time, it doesn’t bring back the lives of 41 people that were brutally murdered on that day.
“The law may have taken its course, but we are left to continue to nurse the wounds of those who were killed by that attack.”
