Owo Church Attack Survivor Testifies as Identification of Suspects Draws Objection

Owo Church Attack Survivor Testifies as Identification of Suspects Draws Objection

Testimonies on Tuesday brought fresh details of the deadly assault on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, as a survivor and another eyewitness recounted how worshippers were attacked during Sunday Mass.

The incident, which occurred on June 5, 2022, left over 40 people dead and many others injured.

A prosecution witness, identified in court as SSC to protect her identity, told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court that she narrowly escaped death after an explosive device was thrown beside her inside the church.

The student, who said she had travelled from Anambra State for the service, recalled that Mass had started around 8 a.m. when chaos suddenly erupted.

She said confusion reigned until an elderly woman sitting next to her was shot.

“In the confusion, a man pulled me up and dragged me toward the altar,” she narrated. There, she met her brother, who helped her lie flat on the floor to avoid bullets.

SSC told the court that armed men later climbed onto the altar and interrogated worshippers lying there. When she lifted her head briefly, one of the attackers noticed her and warned that she had seen his face. She said he dropped an explosive device close to her, which detonated moments later, badly damaging her left leg.

She disclosed that she has undergone four surgical operations, including skin grafting, and now walks with a metal implant. “I am still receiving medical treatment,” she told the court.

The witness also described seeing the body of her two-year-old cousin outside the church compound while being taken to the hospital. She added that she later learned 41 people were killed, a figure she said appeared in a memorial publication released during the victims’ burial.

Her written statement given to the State Security Service in Ondo was presented and admitted as evidence.

Another prosecution witness, SSB, a retired security officer and resident of Owo, gave his own account of the attack. He said gunshots first rang out from outside the church during Mass before armed men forced their way inside, sending worshippers scrambling for safety.

He explained that security personnel had attempted to secure the entrance as bullets struck the doorway. “I saw one gunman enter and signal to another to follow him,” he said.

He told the court that the attackers fired at different sections of the church, including the choir area and where the lectors sat.

SSB said multiple explosions followed, prompting him to lie face-down until the shooting stopped. When he looked up, he saw three assailants moving through the church, apparently checking for survivors, before communicating with hand signals and leaving.

In court, the witness was asked to identify the attackers. He initially pointed to one defendant but, after being asked to take a closer look, identified a different defendant as the man he saw during the assault. He also identified another suspect as one of the attackers carrying a bag during the operation.

Defence lawyers objected to the change in identification, arguing that the witness was altering his testimony.

Prosecutors responded that the witness needed a clearer view because one defendant had been wearing a face covering in court. The judge ruled that the reliability of the identification would be examined during cross-examination.

SSB further told the court that after escaping through a window, he saw lifeless bodies around the church premises. He said the hospital was overwhelmed with victims, some of whom had lost limbs.

He added that when he returned to the church the following day, he observed bloodstains and signs of extensive damage.

His statement to the DSS, made in 2024, was also admitted in evidence.

The Department of State Services has lined up 10 witnesses to support its case. The trial was adjourned to January 14 for continuation.