12 convicted, sentenced to death over terrorism, kidnapping cases in Nigeria

Twelve people have been sentenced to death by hanging after being convicted in terrorism, kidnapping and other security-related cases prosecuted by the Department of State Security (DSS).
According to court documents reviewed, the convictions were handed down by federal and state high courts across Nigeria between May and June 2026. Other defendants received prison sentences ranging from two years to life imprisonment.
Among those sentenced to death were four men convicted over the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. On June 3, the Federal High Court sentenced Idris Omeiza, Alqasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Abdulhaleem Idris to death by hanging af...