Nigeria court sentences four men to death over 2022 church attack

A federal court in Nigeria has sentenced four men to death by hanging for their roles in a deadly 2022 attack on a church in southwestern Ondo State that killed at least 50 worshippers.

Justice Emeka Nwite delivered the ruling on Wednesday after convicting the four defendants on multiple terrorism-related charges, including hostage-taking, kidnapping, terrorism financing, and the use of explosives that caused death and injury.

The attack took place on June 5, 2022, at St. Francis Catholic Church in the town of Owo. Children were among those killed, while dozens of others were injured in one of the deadliest attacks on a place of worship in Nigeria's recent history.

The convicted men, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris, were found guilty on a nine-count charge sheet. A fifth defendant was acquitted after the court found insufficient evidence linking him to the attack.

In addition to the death sentences, the court imposed life imprisonment terms for membership in a terrorist organization and 20-year prison sentences for conspiracy-related offences.

According to prosecutors, the group operated from a militant cell in Kogi State and was involved in planning and executing attacks across parts of Nigeria. Court filings alleged that the defendants joined al-Shabaab in 2021 and plotted attacks at other locations, including a public school and sites in central Nigeria.

However, al-Shabaab has never claimed responsibility for the Owo church attack, and its operational presence in Nigeria has not been independently verified. Following the attack, Nigerian authorities initially linked the assault to the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), although neither ISWAP nor Boko Haram publicly claimed responsibility.

The ruling is being closely watched as a test of Nigeria's efforts to strengthen accountability in terrorism cases amid persistent security challenges across the country.