***Calls for Similar Punishment for Kidnappers, Terrorists Nationwide
Prominent pro-democracy and civil rights advocacy group Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has welcomed the judgment of the Federal High Court in Abuja sentencing four terrorists to death for their involvement in the gruesome attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, in which dozens of innocent worshippers were massacred during a church service in June 2022.
HURIWA describes the verdict as a landmark victory for justice, a triumph for the rule of law, and a strong message that those who engage in terrorism and mass murder will ultimately face the full weight of the law.
The leading human rights advocacy group HUMAN RIGHTS WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF NIGERIA (HURIWA) commends Justice Emeka Nwite for delivering a courageous and painstaking judgment based on overwhelming evidence presented before the court. The judgment has restored public confidence in the justice system and provided a measure of closure to the families of the victims whose lives were brutally cut short by agents of terror. We in HURIWA express our view that the appeals arising from this judgment should witness a very rapid hearing and determination by both the Appellate court and the court of last resort the Supreme Court of Nigeria. We are of the view that this matter must be determined within three months just as the governor of Ondo State should sign their death warrants so their public execution is carried out without delay.”
HURIWA specifically applauds the Department of State Services (DSS) for its professionalism, persistence and intelligence-driven operations that led to the arrest, investigation and successful prosecution of the terrorists. The successful conviction demonstrates what can be achieved when patriotic, competent and committed Nigerians are entrusted with the leadership of strategic security institutions.
This milestone should encourage security agencies across the country to intensify efforts towards dismantling terrorist networks, kidnapping syndicates and violent criminal gangs that continue to threaten national security.
The Rights group further calls on the judiciary to impose similar stringent punishments on convicted kidnappers, terrorists and mass murderers across Nigeria. The growing menace of kidnapping for ransom and terrorism has inflicted untold pain on millions of Nigerians and should attract the highest penalties permitted by law to serve as a deterrent.
HURIWA notes that the Owo judgment stands in sharp contrast to what many Nigerians viewed as a disappointingly lenient disposition towards the mastermind of the bombing of the Catholic Church in Zuba, Abuja, during the administration of former President Muhammadu Buhari. That controversial outcome left many citizens questioning the nation’s commitment to justice and accountability in terrorism-related offences.
The rights group recalls that under the previous administration, several high-profile terrorism cases generated public outrage because of perceptions that perpetrators were not adequately punished despite the gravity of their crimes. The latest judgment therefore marks a welcome departure from that troubling trend and signals a renewed determination by the Nigerian state to confront terrorism decisively.
HURIWA urges President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to continue supporting security agencies and the judiciary in the fight against terrorism and violent extremism. The association also calls on relevant authorities to ensure that all legal procedures required to give effect to the judgment are pursued diligently.
The message from the Owo judgment must be clear and unmistakable: Nigeria must never become a safe haven for terrorists, kidnappers and mass murderers. Those who shed innocent blood must know that justice will catch up with them, no matter how long it takes.
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