Owo Church Attack: DSS witness relive ordeal as trial of suspected attackers continues

A grieving couple on Wednesday narrated before a Federal High Court in Abuja the horror they experienced during the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, as the trial of five men accused of carrying out the assault continued.

The couple testified as prosecution witnesses in the case being handled by the Department of State Services (DSS) against Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, who are standing trial over the deadly incident.

Testifying as the fifth prosecution witness, the husband, identified as SSE, told the court that he attended the church service that day with his wife, children and mother. He recalled that shortly after the final blessing, gunshots rang out, initially mistaken for celebratory noises, before chaos erupted as armed attackers surrounded the church.

According to him, the assailants forced their way into the building after shooting through windows and entrances. He said explosive devices were also used, causing widespread destruction and panic. After the attackers fled, SSE recounted searching desperately for his family, moving through the church and its surroundings, only to later discover that a badly injured woman he had earlier sympathised with was his wife.

He told the court that his wife was rushed to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, where doctors later amputated both her legs and confirmed severe damage to one of her eyes. He added that although the Ondo State Government promised to provide prosthetic limbs, the commitment was yet to be fulfilled.

Under cross-examination, SSE said the attackers used both firearms and explosives, adding that he saw several of them inside and outside the church but could not clearly identify their faces.

Earlier, the wife, identified as SSD and testifying as the fourth prosecution witness, gave an emotional account of how she ran to the altar to seek cover as gunfire continued. She said she later realised she had sustained life-altering injuries and was taken to the hospital along with other victims.

SSD, a nurse with the Ondo State Hospital Management Board, told the court that she lost her left eye and both legs as a result of the attack and spent several months in hospital before being discharged. She now relies on a wheelchair.

During the proceedings, the prosecution applied for the witness to demonstrate her injuries to the court, a request which Justice Emeka Nwite granted.

Justice Nwite has adjourned further hearing in the case to February 10 and 11.