Nigeria Court Sentences Four to Death Over 2022 Owo Church Attack

June 4, 2026

Mintesinot Nigussie

A Nigerian court has imposed death sentences on four men convicted over the 2022 assault on a Catholic church in Owo, southwestern Ondo State, in a case that also included convictions for terrorism financing, kidnapping and explosives-related offences.

The judgment was delivered on Wednesday by Justice Emeka Nwite, who also handed additional penalties including life imprisonment for membership of a terrorist organisation.

The defendants, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris, were found guilty on a nine-count charge.

The case centred on the deadly 2022 church attack in Owo, widely regarded as one of the most severe incidents of violence targeting a place of worship in Nigeria.