Nigeria Sentences Four to Death Over 2022 Owo Church Massacre

Nigeria has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in the 2022 attack on a Catholic church in southwestern Ondo State that left dozens of worshippers dead, marking one of the country’s most significant terrorism-related convictions in recent years.

Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja handed down the sentences on Wednesday after finding the defendants guilty on a nine-count charge that included terrorism financing, hostage-taking, kidnapping and the use of explosives that caused death and injury.

The four convicted men — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris — were found guilty of participating in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. A fifth defendant was acquitted after the court ruled that prosecutors had failed to establish sufficient evidence against him.

In addition to the death sentences, the court imposed life imprisonment terms for membership of a terrorist organisation and 20-year prison sentences for conspiracy, though those penalties are largely symbolic given the capital punishment verdict.

The Owo massacre remains one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria’s modern history. Gunmen stormed the church during Pentecost Sunday Mass, opening fire on worshippers and detonating explosives as congregants attempted to flee. The attack killed at least 50 people, including women and children, while more than 100 others sustained injuries.

The massacre shocked a nation more accustomed to extremist violence in its northeastern region and raised fears that militant activity was spreading into parts of southern Nigeria previously considered relatively secure.

According to court filings presented during the trial, the defendants allegedly joined the East African militant group al Shabaab in 2021 and participated in planning additional attacks, including plots targeting a public school in central Nigeria and another location near a mosque outside Owo.

However, the case has also been marked by lingering questions over responsibility for the attack. While Nigerian authorities initially linked the massacre to Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), neither ISWAP nor Boko Haram ever claimed responsibility. Al Shabaab also did not claim the assault, and security analysts have noted that the group’s operational presence in Nigeria has never been conclusively established.

The defendants had pleaded not guilty when their trial began. Prosecutors argued that evidence gathered by security agencies established their involvement beyond reasonable doubt.

The ruling comes as Nigeria intensifies efforts to prosecute terrorism-related offences. Earlier this year, authorities secured convictions against hundreds of terrorism suspects in one of the country’s largest mass terrorism trials, underscoring the government’s push to demonstrate greater accountability in security-related cases.

For families of the victims, the verdict closes a major chapter in a case that has remained a painful symbol of the country’s security challenges nearly four years after the attack.

While appeals are expected, the judgment represents one of the strongest court responses yet to a major terrorist attack in Nigeria and may become a benchmark for future terrorism prosecutions.