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Posted By MrCover On June 3rd, 2026

• Two to die for kidnapping

• Troops kill 50 ISWAP terrorists in Northeast

It was judgment day today for four of the five men prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS) over their involvement in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

They were convicted and sentenced to death by the Federal High Court in Abuja.

Justice Emeka Nwite ordered that the four convicts – Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris – die by hanging.

The fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was discharged and acquitted on all nine counts contained in the charge.

Justice Nwite, who held that the prosecution proved its case against the four defendants beyond a reasonable doubt, said the evidence before the court showed that the convicts belonged to and actively participated in the activities of the Al-Shabab terrorist group, including the attack on the Owo church.

The attack, which occurred during a church service, left several worshippers dead and many others injured. It drew national and international condemnation.

During the trial, the prosecution called 11 witnesses and tendered 23 documents, all of which were admitted in evidence.

The five defendants testified in their own defence and did not call additional witnesses.

Reviewing the evidence, Justice Nwite found that the four convicts joined the proscribed Al-Shabab terrorist group in 2021 through one Odoba.

The judge also found that the convicts held a meeting at Government High School, Ogaminana, in Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State, where the decision to attack the Owo church was taken.

He further found that the operation was perfected at a location near Owo in Ondo State.

Justice Nwite held that the prosecution established beyond a reasonable doubt that the four convicts were involved in the Owo church attack in which 40 worshippers were killed and more than 100 others were injured.

The judge said the evidence against the convicts was credible, cogent, positive, verifiable and compelling enough to warrant their conviction.

He rejected the convicts’ claim that their statements were obtained under duress and inducement, noting that their signatures and thumbprints on the statements did not support that assertion.

Justice Nwite subsequently sentenced the convicts to 20 years imprisonment each on counts one, two and three, relating to membership of a terrorist group, attendance at terrorist meetings and conspiracy.

The judge also sentenced the four convicts to death by hanging on counts four to nine, relating to hostage-taking, possession of dangerous arms, terrorism financing, use of explosive devices in public places and causing bodily harm to citizens, among other offences.

Aiyedatiwa lauds judiciary, security agencies

Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa lauded the judiciary and security agencies for securing the conviction and death sentence of the suspects.

In a statement by his spokesman, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the governor described the verdict as a “victory for justice” and a demonstration of the effectiveness of the criminal justice system.

Aiyedatiwa said the outcome of the trial reflected the diligence of the prosecutors, investigators and the judiciary.

He noted that the judgment reinforced the principle that perpetrators of violent crimes would be held accountable.

“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,” the statement read.

The governor also commended residents of Owo and the Catholic community for their resilience in the aftermath of the attack.

He reiterated his administration’s commitment to working with security agencies to improve intelligence gathering and strengthen the protection of public spaces across the state.

Acknowledging that the ruling could not reverse the loss suffered by victims’ families, Aiyedatiwa said it offered “some measure of closure and hope”.

He also prayed for the repose of the victims and comfort for their families.

Two to die for kidnapping

In Nnewi, Anambra State, a High Court convicted two men – Chidozie Obinna and Ifeanyi Onyido – for criminal conspiracy, kidnapping and causing grievous harm to businessman Lawrence Ezeifeka.

Delivering judgment, Justice Vincent Agbata of the Nnewi Judicial Division found the defendants guilty and sentenced them to death by hanging.

Obinna, the first defendant, was convicted and sentenced in absentia after allegedly absconding while on bail during the trial.

The court heard that the convicts, alongside other members of their gang who remain at large, attacked Ezeifeka at his residence in Ekwulumili, Nnewi South Local Government Area, on December 12, 2020.

According to the prosecution, the assailants assaulted the victim, threw him from the first floor of his building and abducted him to an unknown location.

The victim was held captive for four days before regaining his freedom after his family paid a ransom of N7.5 million.

The prosecution further told the court that operatives of the Anambra State Police Command, working in collaboration with the DSS, tracked and arrested the defendants.

Lead prosecuting counsel, Mrs Mary Ukaekwe-Onyeaharam, urged the court to continue Obinna’s trial in absentia following his disappearance while on bail.

She relied on provisions of the Administration of Criminal Justice Law of Anambra State, 2022, and the Anambra State Practice Direction for Criminal Matters, 2023.

Four prosecution witnesses testified during the trial, including the victim, the Secretary of Ekwulumili Town Union, the victim’s son who delivered the ransom and the investigating police officer.

In his defence, Onyido denied involvement in the crime and claimed that he too had been a victim of kidnapping.

However, Justice Agbata held that evidence before the court showed that Onyido received part of the ransom and failed to provide a satisfactory explanation for the funds.

The judge ruled that the prosecution proved its case beyond a reasonable doubt, noting that the evidence adduced was neither effectively challenged nor contradicted by the defence.

Consequently, the court convicted and sentenced both defendants for their roles in the offences.

Attack remains painful scar, says Ondo bishop

Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Ondo, Most Reverend Jude Arogundade, said the June 5, 2022 attack remained a painful scar for victims, their families and the wider community, nearly four years after the incident.

The cleric described the attack, which left 41 worshippers dead and more than 100 others injured, as one of the most tragic events in the state’s history.

Arogundade was reacting to the conviction and sentencing to death of the suspects.

The bishop said: “It will be four years on June 5. The attack has been a life changer for us in the Catholic Diocese of Ondo and indeed the whole state.”

He noted that the victims were attacked during Sunday service in what is widely regarded as a place of safety.

Source: https://thenationonlineng.net/killers-of-40-church-worshippers-sentenced-to-death-by-hanging/