The attorney for the Department of State Services (DSS), Mr Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, on Wednesday said the judgment of the Federal High Court, Abuja on the four convicts over their involvement in the St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State massacre is a warning to terrorists who engage in heinous crimes.
Adedipe spoke during an interview with journalists shortly after the judgment delivered by Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday.
Justice Nwite had sentenced four of the five defendants prosecuted by the DSS to death by hanging following the establishment of their participation in the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The four convicts are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26 and Abdulhaleem Idris, 25, while Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47, was freed.
On June 5, 2022, 41 men, women and children were killed while 69 others were injured when terrorists launched attacks with explosives and guns during the Sunday morning worship at the Owo church.
The senior DSS lawyer, who described the judgment as “sound,” said it reflected the facts and the law.
“The judge did a very thorough job. The judgment had lasted for over three hours. He examined and evaluated all the pieces of evidence adduced and correctly applied the law,” he said.
According to him, we are not surprised because the investigation that led into the prosecution of the case was not only forensic, it was thorough.
“The DSS did a very thorough and painstaking investigation and it was on this basis that the trial was anchored. Therefore, the evidence adduced by the prosecution was ironclad.
“So we are not surprised the judgmemt came out the way it did. Now, 1st to 4th defendants had been convicted for act of terrorism as a result of their participation in the attack where over 40 worshippers who merely went to worship God were killed in cold blood.
“Over 100 others were also injured in that attack. So we are happy because justice has been served; justice has been done to the deceased who were murdered in cold blood. Justice has been done to their family members; justice has been done to the Owo community and justice has been done to the society at large. So, we are very happy,” he said.
Adedipe described the judgment as “another statement; a bold statement by the Federal Government that for some of them that are still carrying on acts of terrorism and other heinous crimes, they can only run, they cannot hide.”
According to him, the long hand of the law will catch up with them.
“And if you live by sword, you will die by sword. So this is a statement by the Federal Government which provided the enabling environment, the facilities for the DSS to do their job.
“We are, indeed, very happy about this judgment, particularly as the maximum sentence has been imposed on the 1st to 4th defendants, having been convicted of act of terrorsism and sentenced to death by hanging,” he said.
On what the DSS would do about the 5th defendant who was discharged and acquitted by the court, he said; “We, are going to meet with our clients and review the judgement vis-a-vis the evidence.
“Then we will determine the next step to take.”
In his response, counsel to the defendants, Mr Abdullahi Muhammed, faulted the judgement. He told the media that they would appeal the judgement.
Written with reports from NAN