(LifeSiteNews) — Justice has been served to the terrorist perpetrators of a mass killing at a Catholic church in Nigeria.
On Wednesday, a Nigerian federal court sentenced to death four gunmen responsible for a 2022 Catholic church massacre, AP News reports.
The men were found guilty of terrorism-related offenses stemming from their links to Al-Shabaab. They were subsequently sentenced to death, with the punishment to be carried out by hanging.
The church shooting occurred on June 5, 2022, in Ondo state at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church. That day, terrorists killed 50 people, including women and children, as they were attending Mass. An additional 60 were injured, as the attack involved multiple firearms and explosives, leaving the church pews destroyed and the floor stained with blood.
In a statement, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari emphasized the inhuman nature of the attack and hinted at eternal punishment for the killers.
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“The president says only fiends from the nether region could have conceived and carried out such a dastardly act, adding that eternal sorrow awaits them both on earth here, and ultimately in the hereafter,” read the statement.
Nigerian authorities originally did not arrest any suspects in the case for over 10 months, leading to criticism from many over a lack of urgency in protecting the region’s Christians. Numerous similar cases gained the attention of the Nigerian Bishops’ Conference, who called on the government to investigate terrorist attacks more thoroughly.
“Those responsible for these heinous crimes must be identified and brought to justice, for without accountability there can be no lasting peace,” the bishops noted. “We urge that reports of delayed or withheld security responses in some affected communities be thoroughly investigated in order to rebuild public trust.”
In an interview with Channels Television, Ondo State Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa explained that the ruling brought relief to the whole state because the rule of law was upheld.
“For us in Ondo State, we are happy that this judgement is a victory for the rule of law and for all the victims attacked, not just in Owo, Ondo State, but all who have been attacked at one time or the other by these terrorists,” the governor said.