Court Convicts Four Men for Owo Church Attack, Acquits One

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday found four men guilty for their roles in the 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.

About 40 people died and 140 others were hurt during the Sunday mass on June 5, 2022.

The federal government charged five defendants in the trial. They are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; Abdulhaleem Idris, 25; and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47.

Judge Emeka Nwite gave the verdict in the terrorism case after looking at evidence from both sides for three hours. The judge said the “prosecution has proven the charge against the defendants.” He added it is “clear” that four of the defendants were part of a banned terrorist group called Al-Shabaab.

The court found the first four defendants guilty on count one for being members of the terrorist group. The fifth defendant was acquitted on that count.

For count two, the court convicted the first, third, and fourth defendants. The judge said the evidence from the prosecution “remains credible” and was not effectively challenged by the defendants.

On count three, the court convicted the first four defendants as the masterminds of the attack linked to a meeting on May 30, 2022. The fifth defendant was discharged and acquitted on that count.

On counts four and five, the court also convicted the first four defendants, while the fifth defendant was discharged and acquitted.

For count six, the fifth defendant was charged mainly with financing terrorism related to the attack. The judge said the prosecution “did not prove that he financed the attack,” so he discharged and acquitted the fifth defendant.

The judge is still deciding on the other counts as of the time of this report.

The attack took place during a Pentecost Sunday Mass at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo in June 2022. Gunmen reportedly fired shots and set off explosives inside and outside the church, killing at least 41 worshippers and injuring over 140 others. The incident caused outrage and condemnation from many, both locally and internationally.

The defendants were brought to court in August last year, nearly three years after the attack. They faced terrorism charges filed by the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi. Prosecutors claimed the suspects were part of an Al-Shabaab cell in Kogi State and that they plotted and carried out the deadly church attack as part of a violent religious agenda. The defendants pleaded not guilty.

The trial formally began in December 2025 when the prosecution called its first witness, a Catholic priest who led the Mass on the day of the attack. Under a protected witness arrangement approved by the court, many witnesses testified with hidden identities.

During the trial, survivors, church members, Amotekun operatives, and SSS investigators gave testimony. Some witnesses described how the attackers stormed into the church and fired shots at worshippers trying to escape. Others talked about the aftermath and the efforts to find the suspects.

One prosecution witness identified two of the defendants in court as part of the attackers he saw during the incident. Another witness, who testified from a wheelchair, shared that she lost both legs and an eye when explosives went off during the attack.

The prosecution closed its case after calling 11 witnesses. The last witness, an SSS digital forensic expert known as SSK, explained how they used phone tracking, geospatial analysis, and cell tower triangulation to catch the suspects.

During the trial, the court also held a trial-within-trial after the defense challenged the use of the defendants’ confessional statements. The defense argued that the statements were made under pressure. However, Judge Nwite accepted the statements as evidence.

The defense then presented its case, urging the court to reject the prosecution’s evidence and free the defendants.

On March 4, the first defendant, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, testified in the Federal High Court in Abuja. With his lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammed, he denied being involved in the Owo church attack. Omeiza recounted how SSS operatives arrested him at home in Kogi State on August 1, 2022. He claimed they took him to Ondo State and pressured him to confess.

“They asked me to tell the truth, but I said I had nothing to tell them,” he told the court.

Omeiza said operatives chained and beat him until he passed out and forced him to sign statements. He insisted the statements were not voluntary.

In March, another defendant, Mr. Abdulmalik, also denied any involvement in the church attack during his testimony. He stated that SSS operatives arrested him in 2022 while traveling from Ondo State to Kogi State. He claimed he was tortured in custody and made to sign statements that linked him to the attack. He maintained that he was not connected to the incident.