A federal high court has handed down the death penalty to four men implicated in the harrowing 2022 assault on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, where forty-one worshippers lost their lives and over a hundred sustained injuries during a Pentecost service. This devastating attack has drawn widespread condemnation across the nation.
In a ruling delivered in Abuja, Judge Emeka Nwite emphasized that the prosecution established its case with compelling evidence, including testimonies from survivors who could identify some of the assailants. In addition to the death sentences, the court imposed a 20-year prison sentence on each of the convicted men for their association with a terrorist organization.
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In response to the verdict, the defence indicated plans to appeal, maintaining that they would contest the court’s decision. Notably, a fifth individual was acquitted, as the evidence presented was deemed insufficient to warrant a conviction. This case emerges amidst ongoing concerns regarding escalating violence and frequent attacks linked to extremist factions throughout Nigeria.
