A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging.
Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, 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 discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, after finding insufficient evidence linking him to the attack.
The June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, remains one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria.
The judge held that the prosecution proved its case against the four convicts beyond reasonable doubt. Evidence before the court established that the four men belonged to and actively participated in the activities of the terrorist group responsible for the church assault. The court found that the convicts were principal members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell operating in Kogi State who 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. The gunmen used improvised explosive devices and AK-47 rifles in furtherance of their extremist religious ideology. The assault claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left over 100 others injured.
Court filings showed that the men allegedly joined the East African militant group al Shabaab in 2021 and plotted attacks at other locations, including a public school in central Nigeria and an area near a mosque about 30 km from Owo. Authorities initially blamed Islamic State West Africa Province, though neither ISWAP nor al Shabaab claimed responsibility for the June 2022 church attack.
To establish its case, the DSS called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements and a digital forensic examination report. Among the items admitted in evidence was a Technophone alleged to contain communications exchanged by the defendants before and after the terror attack.
In addition to the death sentences, the four were also given symbolic sentences of life imprisonment for belonging to a terrorist organisation and 20 years each for conspiracy. The defendants had pleaded not guilty at the start of the trial. The ruling is being viewed as a test of Nigeria’s ability to successfully prosecute terrorism cases as the country grapples with insurgencies and widespread insecurity.
Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa described the verdict as a victory for justice and the rule of law. He commended the judiciary and security agencies for securing the conviction, saying the 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.
