‎ ‎Court sentences four to death over Owo church massacre

Abuja, Nigeria — June 3, 2026
‎A Federal High Court in Abuja has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their involvement in the June 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, which claimed the lives of dozens of worshippers.
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‎Delivering judgment on Wednesday, Justice Emeka Nwite found the defendants guilty on multiple terrorism-related charges, including terrorism financing, hostage-taking, kidnapping, conspiracy, and the use of explosives that resulted in deaths and injuries.
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‎The convicted men — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris — were among five individuals standing trial over the attack.
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‎A fifth defendant was discharged and acquitted after the court ruled that the prosecution failed to establish a case against him.
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‎In addition to the death sentence, the court imposed life imprisonment on the four convicts for belonging to a terrorist organization and sentenced them to 20 years imprisonment for conspiracy.
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‎The attack on St. Francis Catholic Church occurred on June 5, 2022, during a Sunday service in Owo, Ondo State.
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‎The incident was one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria, leaving at least 50 people dead and many others injured.
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‎The trial, prosecuted by the Department of State Services (DSS), has been closely watched as a major test of Nigeria’s ability to successfully prosecute terrorism cases amid ongoing security challenges across the country.
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‎Families of the victims and members of the public have continued to seek justice for those killed in the attack, with Wednesday’s judgment marking a significant milestone in the legal process surrounding one of Nigeria’s most tragic terror incidents in recent years.
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‎This version follows a conventional newspaper style with headline, dateline, attribution, and balanced reporting.