The Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four members of an Al-Shabaab terrorist cell to death by hanging for their roles in the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, which claimed more than 40 lives and left over 100 worshippers injured.

Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the judgment on Wednesday after finding Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25, guilty on a nine-count terrorism charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) on behalf of the Federal Government.

The court, however, acquitted and discharged the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, citing insufficient evidence linking him to the attack.

Justice Nwite held that the prosecution proved beyond reasonable doubt that the four convicts were members of a terrorist cell operating in Kogi State and actively participated in the attack on the church during a Pentecost service.

According to the prosecution, the attackers stormed the church, held worshippers hostage and carried out the assault using improvised explosive devices and AK-47 rifles, resulting in heavy casualties and destruction.

To support its case, the prosecution presented 11 witnesses and tendered 23 exhibits, including confessional statements and a digital forensic report. A mobile device containing alleged communications among the defendants before and after the attack was also admitted as evidence.

A Catholic priest who survived the attack testified that the assailants detonated at least three explosive devices inside the church, causing panic and widespread bloodshed.

In his ruling, Justice Nwite said the evidence presented by the prosecution clearly linked the four convicts to the attack and justified their conviction on terrorism-related offences.