January 14, 2026 l By Stephen — Dalena Reporters
ABUJA, Nigeria — Survivors of the June 5, 2022 terror attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State delivered harrowing testimony on Tuesday as the Department of State Services (DSS) presented additional evidence against five accused in the ongoing trial at the Federal High Court in Abuja. The testimony — graphic, deeply emotional and rooted in firsthand experience underlined the terror of one of Nigeria’s deadliest assaults on a place of worship.
The five suspects — Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25) and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) are being prosecuted on an amended nine-count indictment that includes charges of terrorism, conspiracy and acts intended to cause grievous harm and mass casualties. All have pleaded not guilty to the charges.
During the resumed hearing, the prosecution called two additional witnesses who delivered deeply personal accounts of the massacre that erupted during Pentecost Sunday Mass, when heavily armed assailants stormed the church, locked the main entrance, opened fire and detonated explosives, killing at least 41 worshippers and injuring more than 100.
One witness, identified only as SSB, told the court how the assailants entered through a secondary entrance after churchgoers attempted to secure the main doors. He provided vivid detail about how gunmen moved through the sanctuary, firing indiscriminately and throwing the congregation into chaos. “I fell on my face in fear,” he said, describing explosions and the ensuing panic, later identifying Al Qasim Idris and Abdulhaleem Idris as among those he saw during the assault.
A second survivor, known as SSC, recounted an equally traumatic ordeal. She described how a gunman dropped an explosive device near her and, after a brief exchange, the device detonated, resulting in injuries that have left her with permanent damage. She displayed her left leg to the court — a limb that has undergone four surgeries and remains fitted with metal implants — as evidence of the attack’s physical toll. Her testimony also included the tragic loss of her two-year-old cousin, whose body was so badly injured that it was unrecognisable to family at the hospital.
Both witnesses confirmed that they provided extra-judicial statements to the DSS at its Akure office in May 2024 — statements the court admitted as Exhibits B and C without objection.
The Department of State Services, represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria Adedayo Adedipe (SAN), told the court the prosecution plans to call seven more witnesses in the coming sessions, with two scheduled to testify at the next hearing. Justice Emeka Nwite subsequently adjourned the matter to January 14, 2026 for continuation of the trial.
The Owo massacre remains one of the most brutal terror attacks on a religious gathering in Nigeria’s recent history. Survivors’ testimonies provide a stark reminder of both the human cost of extremist violence and the painstaking efforts of the DSS to build a detailed evidentiary record against those accused, even as the judicial process unfolds amid national calls for justice and accountability.