Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court finds four extremists guilty of the St. Francis Catholic Church Owo massacre that left 41 worshippers dead, while acquitting the fifth co-defendant.
A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja has delivered a monumental judgment, sentencing four of the five defendants standing trial for the June 5, 2022, terror attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, to death by hanging.
Delivering the verdict on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, presiding Judge Emeka Nwite held that the prosecuting agency, the Department of State Services (DSS), successfully proved the nine-count terrorism charge against the four individuals beyond any reasonable doubt.
The four convicts who received the capital punishment sentence are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), and Abdulhaleem Idris (25). However, the court discharged and acquitted the fifth and oldest defendant, 47-year-old Momoh Otuho Abubakar, ruling that the prosecution failed to establish a definitive legal link connecting him to the conspiracy or the funding of the attack.
The horrifying Sunday morning attack, which shook the nation four years ago, resulted in the tragic deaths of at least 41 worshippers and left over 100 others with severe, life-altering injuries.
Reviewing the extensive evidence, Justice Nwite validated testimonies from DSS investigators detailing that the four young men belonged to a proscribed extremist cell operating along the Kogi-Ondo borders under a coordinator known as “Adoba.”
The court established that the cell met on May 30, June 1, and June 4, 2022, at Government Secondary School, Ogaminana, and a local mosque in Kogi State to finalize the operational execution of the church massacre.
Furthermore, the court relied on digital forensic evidence, call logs showing relentless communication among the four convicts before and after the strike, and their voluntary confessional statements to construct an unbroken chain of guilt.
Though Momoh Abubakar was accused of routing ₦800,000 for the operation through his Point of Sale (POS) terminals under Count 6, the judge ruled that the evidence against him was legally insufficient.
“The prosecution has successfully established the nine-count charge against the 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th defendants beyond reasonable doubt. The forensic digital evidence and call records showing repeated communication between key defendants form a strong chain of guilt. The court hereby imposes a death sentence on counts four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine. The convicts shall be hanged by the neck until death. May the Lord have mercy on your souls,” Justice Emeka Nwite pronounced.
The defense’s argument that the confessional statements were extracted under duress was flatly rejected by the court, which noted that the documents were duly signed, thumb-printed, and left unchallenged during the cross-examinations.
In his final breakdown of penalties, Justice Nwite handed down a life imprisonment term for belonging to a proscribed group (Count 1) and a consecutive 20-year prison sentence for conspiracy and planning (Counts 2 and 3). For the remaining counts covering hostage-taking, illegal weapons possession, terrorism financing, and detonating explosives in a public place, the court ordered the execution of the death penalty.
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