:The trial of the suspects linked to the June 5, 2022, terror attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, resumed on Thursday, with the presiding priest recounting before the Federal High Court, Abuja, how the assault unfolded.
The witness, a Catholic priest identified in court as ‘SSA’ for security reasons, testified behind a screen.The defendants are Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25) and Momoh Abubakar (47)
.They are being prosecuted by the Department of State Services on nine counts of terrorism before Justice Emeka Nwite.Why I Have Attended A New Church Every Sunday This Year – Lagos Man0:00 / 0:00Led in evidence by DSS counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), the priest narrated how the attack left over 40 worshippers dead and more than 100 others injured.He recalled that the attack occurred towards the end of the First Pentecost Sunday Mass, which had drawn a large congregation.As the service neared completion and the recessional hymn began, he said a loud explosion suddenly shattered the worshippers’ calm, followed by sporadic gunfire.Giving evidence-in-chief, the witness said he was in the restroom with some children when the first, second and third explosions went off.He described June 5, 2022, as “a memorable day in his life,” telling the court
:“This is so because it was the day when the violent attack was launched on us — myself and all the worshiping community of St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.It was an incident that led to the death of over 40 persons among us, while some of us became maimed; some of us, till this point, have permanent physical injuries. I recall that the attack was towards the end of the worship that day.”He said he was performing the last rites and the congregation had begun singing the recessional hymn when he heard a loud sound.Facing the congregation, he initially thought, “somebody had fallen,” but then saw two men from the community quickly locking the main entrance.
An elder rushed to him and said, “Father, we are under attack.”“From this point, I heard the sporadic shooting of guns. This was still outside the church. This elder told me, ‘Father, you have to leave.’ At first, I was reluctant to leave the sanctuary… at least because of those children who call me Father.”He said he and some adults immediately tried to move the children to safety.“Taking my leave from the sanctuary, I and some adults moved some of these children into a safe place; this is an attachment to the church. When I was in this place, I continued to hear the continuous shooting of guns and the use of about three explosives.
