In a landmark ruling that has sent shockwaves through the international legal community, a Nigerian court has sentenced four men to death for their role in the brutal massacre of worshippers at a church in Owo, Ondo State. The attack, which took place in June 2022, left over 40 dead and dozens injured, as gunmen opened fire on congregants during Sunday service. A British judge, sitting as part of a special tribunal, has publicly praised the verdict as ‘decisive justice’, a rare intervention that raises questions about the reach of colonial-era legal frameworks in post-independence Africa.
The four defendants were found guilty on multiple counts of terrorism, murder, and attempted murder. Sources confirm that the evidence presented included CCTV footage, forensic analysis, and witness testimony that placed the men at the scene. The court heard how the attackers used explosives and automatic weapons, targeting helpless men, women, and children. The presiding judge, Justice Simon Hawthorn, a British jurist seconded to Nigeria’s judiciary under a bilateral agreement, described the crime as ‘an affront to humanity’ and commended the Nigerian authorities for their swift prosecution. But this praise masks a deeper unease. Critics argue that the death penalty, while legal in Nigeria, is a relic of colonial rule and rarely applied with such speed. Human rights groups have expressed concern over due process. The trial was completed in under 18 months, a blink of an eye in a system often mired in delays. Defence lawyers have already announced plans to appeal, citing coerced confessions and lack of access to legal representation during initial interrogations.
The background to this case is a nation bleeding from multiple wounds. Since 2009, the Boko Haram insurgency has killed over 300,000 people, and banditry in the northwest has left communities terrorised. The Owo massacre, however, was different. It was a direct assault on Christian worshippers in the heart of the southwest, a region not typically associated with extremist violence. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), a breakaway faction of Boko Haram. Documents uncovered by this reporter show that the Nigerian security services had received intelligence warnings about a possible attack on the church but failed to act. Letters from the Ondo State police commissioner to the national headquarters, dated two weeks before the massacre, requested additional resources and personnel. Those requests were denied. No official has been held accountable.
The British judge’s role has also sparked controversy. Justice Hawthorn, who formerly served as a high court judge in London, is part of a programme designed to strengthen judicial independence in former colonies. Yet his public praise of the verdict has been seized upon by critics as evidence of a neo-colonial attitude. ‘The British are happy to see black men hanged. It reminds them of the old days,’ one local lawyer told me, refusing to be named for fear of reprisal. The judge’s comments were made during a press conference at the Abuja courthouse, where he stood flanked by Nigerian officials. He stated, ‘The swiftness and certainty of this punishment will send a clear message that such barbarity will not be tolerated.’ But the question remains: whose justice is this? For the families of the victims, the verdict brings a measure of closure. One widow, clutching a photograph of her husband, said, ‘They took my everything. I pray they burn in hell.’ But for a nation still grappling with institutional failure, the execution of four men may only wash over the edges of a much deeper wound. The money trail, as always, leads to bigger players. Sources confirm that the weapons used in the attack were traced back to a network of smugglers operating on the border with Chad. The financiers behind ISWAP remain untouched. The judge may have dispensed ‘decisive justice’, but the machinery of corruption grinds on.
