A federal high court in Abuja on June 3, 2026, sentenced four men to death for their role in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The court convicted Idris Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, and Abdulhaleem Idris on all nine terrorism-related counts filed by the federal government. A fifth suspect, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was also arraigned but was not among those convicted.
Prosecutors told the court the men joined Al-Shabaab in 2021 and set up a cell in Kogi State. The government said they met in Kogi and Ondo in 2022 to plan the assault.
During the attack, the defendants allegedly detonated improvised explosive devices and opened fire with AK-47 rifles. More than 40 people were killed and over 100 injured, according to the prosecution.
The charges were brought under the Terrorism (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022. The court found the attack was carried out to advance the group’s religious ideology.
The Owo church attack remains one of the deadliest incidents of mass violence in Ondo State.
