More witnesses testify against Owo Catholic Church attackers as court admits more exhibits
Two additional witnesses on Tuesday testified against the five defendants put on trial by the Department of State Service (DSS) for allegedly masterminding the June 5, 2022 terror attacks against the Saint Francis Savier Catholic Church in Owo town, Ondo State.
The two witnesses testified at the Federal High Court in Abuja where the trial is holding.
The violent attack which involved sporadic shooting and explosives against the church left 41 worshippers instantly dead and over 100 suffered various degrees of injuries including amputations of legs.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, the two witnesses code named SSB and SSC pathetically narrated how the gun men stormed the church, locked up the main entrance door and fired several gun shots at the worshippers.
A lady witness, code named SSB, a student from Anambra State told Justice Emeka Nwite how the unknown gun men forced their ways into the church, fired gun shots at Choir gallery during which heavy pandemonium took over the church.
She said that an explosive, dynamite was set at her head to blow her up for having the audacity to raise her head when one of the gun men was talking but swiftly moved her body only for her left leg to be shattered by the heavy explosion of the dynamite.
Led in evidence by the DSS lawyer, Ayodeji Adedipe SAN, the female witness showed the damaged left leg to the court upon permission to do so.
The witness confirmed that the damaged leg was operated on four times by medical experts before she could manage it to walk.
The SSC noted with sadness that iron was fixed in the leg to support it and that the iron had not been removed from the leg till date.
She said that her cousin of two years was not lucky during the attack as he was shot from the back of his head and died on the spot.
The second witness code named SSB had earlier narrated the same story of the attack and how 40 worshippers were counted dead shortly after the gun men left the scene of the attack.
He confirmed that the church was bombed three times with dynamite which resulted in serious damagoe to the church.
The two witnesses confirmed that they were invited by DSS at its Akure office where they volunteered their statements on May 26, 2024.
Meanwhile, the two extra judicial statements made by the two witnesses to DSS have been admitted as Exhibits B and C by Justice Emeka Nwite following absence of objections to their admission.
At the close of Tuesday’s proceedings, counsel to DSS, Ayodeji Adedipe SAN said he intends to call seven more witnesses but that only two would testify on January 14.
The Department of State Services, DSS, in a nine-count amended charge, is currently prosecuting the five suspected terrorists.
They are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25 years, Al Qasim Idris, 20 years, Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26 years, Abdulhaleem Idris, 25 years and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47 years.
During the arraignment, the defendants pleaded not guilty to the 9-count charges.
At Tuesday’s proceedings, Abdullahi Auwal Mohammed stood for the defence of the five defendants.
Meanwhile, Justice Emeka Nwite has fixed January 14 for continuation of trial.
It will be recalled that a Catholic priest and one of the victims of the terrorist attacks code named SSA for security reasons had on Thursday, December 11, 2025 testified for DSS as prosecution witness One (PW-1) in the trial.
