A federal court in Nigeria has handed death sentences to four men convicted for their roles in the deadly Pentecost Sunday attack on a Catholic church in 2022 that left 41 worshipers dead and more than 100 injured.
Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja found four defendants guilty on nine terrorism-related charges, including membership in a terrorist organization, conspiracy, kidnapping, hostage-taking, terrorism financing, murder and the use of explosives that resulted in multiple deaths and injuries.
According to BBC reports, the court concluded that prosecutors had established the defendants’ guilt beyond a reasonable doubt and that the evidence presented during the trial remained unchallenged.
In addition to the death penalty, the court imposed 20-year prison terms on the four men for their involvement with a terrorist group.
A fifth suspect, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, was cleared of all charges after the court determined there was insufficient evidence linking him to the attack.
Prosecutors had alleged that Abubakar helped finance the operation by receiving and distributing funds sent by a fugitive suspect. The court, however, found the evidence inadequate to support a conviction.
Following the ruling, prosecutors indicated they would examine the judgment and consider whether to challenge the acquittal on appeal, according to Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
The attack occurred on June 5, 2022, when armed assailants stormed St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, during a Pentecost Sunday service. The attackers opened fire and detonated explosives, killing dozens of worshipers, including children.
Testimony during the trial revealed the devastating impact of the assault. One survivor told the court she lost both legs below the knee as well as her left eye after an explosive device detonated inside the church.
The prosecution presented testimony from 11 eyewitnesses, including one individual who identified two of the convicted men as participants in the attack. The priest who was the apparent target of the assault survived.
Authorities said the four convicted men were members of al-Shabaab and had joined the terrorist organization in 2021.
Court proceedings also heard that the defendants voluntarily confessed to carrying out the attack under orders from a fugitive leader. According to Christian Solidarity Worldwide, the men said they were instructed to target the church because its activities were allegedly viewed as offensive to the Islamic prophet Muhammad.
Defense attorneys indicated that the convicted men plan to challenge the verdict through the appeals process.
Although death sentences remain legal in Nigeria, executions require presidential approval and are infrequently carried out. The country’s last execution was recorded in 2016, while the number of inmates awaiting execution surpassed 3,000 by 2023.
Christian Solidarity Worldwide noted that the Owo massacre marked the first terrorist attack on a church in southern Nigeria. Since then, attacks against churches and Christian communities have continued amid worsening security conditions across the country.
The violence has also drawn international attention. Last year, U.S. President Donald Trump accused Nigerian authorities of failing to adequately protect Christians from extremist violence, while American forces have continued assisting Nigeria’s military campaign against the Islamic State.
Speaking last week, U.S. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said American troops operating in Nigeria have helped eliminate “hundreds” of Islamic State militants since their deployment began last year.
