By Andre Oluwatimileyin

Abuja, Nigeria – A witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) testified in Federal High Court in Abuja on Tuesday that the suspected terrorists involved in the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, were funded, armed, and mobilized for the operation. The attack resulted in the deaths of over 40 people and left more than 100 injured.

Cablenews24 reports that the witness, identified only as SSI for security reasons, led the DSS investigation team into the Owo church massacre. Giving testimony under protection before Justice Emeka Nwite, SSI, designated as the ninth prosecution witness (PW-9), detailed the roles played by the five defendants in the deadly assault.

The five men on trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25 years old), Al Qasim Idris (20 years old), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26 years old), Abdulhaleem Idris (25 years old), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47 years old). They are being prosecuted by the DSS on terrorism-related charges.

During the proceedings, the prosecution, led by Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, presented a “comprehensive investigation report on the incident,” which the court admitted as evidence without objection from the defense. This report is expected to be a crucial piece of evidence in establishing the culpability of the defendants.

PW-9, who testified to being the Deputy Director in charge of Counter Terrorism Investigation, stated that his team’s mandate was to identify the perpetrators, determine the cause of the incident, uncover any sponsors, and gather any other relevant information.

“We proceeded to gather intelligence and also exploited technical resources, which eventually led us to the arrest of five persons in August 2022,” SSI testified. The arrests took place in both Kogi and Ondo States.

The witness further stated that the investigation revealed that the suspects were members of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), a proscribed terrorist group. They belonged to a cell operating around the Okene/Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State and Omielafa and Omielege in Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State, under the coordination of an individual known as Odoba, who is still at large.

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SSI provided a detailed account of the attack’s planning, stating that Odoba convened a meeting of ISWAP cell members on May 30, 2022, at Government Secondary School, Ogaminana. Al-Qasim Idris was reportedly present at this meeting. Odoba instructed them to prepare for an attack on the Catholic Church in Owo on a Sunday, with explicit instructions to kill the priest.

Al-Qasim allegedly returned to Omilafia and gathered other cell members, including his brother Abdulhalid, Jamiu, and another individual named Kabir (who is still at large). This meeting took place after Jumaat prayer at the mosque where the Idris brothers’ father serves as the Chief Imam. He informed them of the impending attack and the arrival of two reinforcements named Mohammed and Abdullahi.

On June 4, 2022, Abdulhaleem Idris allegedly hired a Volkswagen Golf 3 car in Adavi. He then allegedly led Odoba to collect five AK47 rifles, 10 magazines, ammunition, and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for the attack. That evening, they gathered at Abdulhaleem’s house, where Al-Qasim reviewed the attack plan and conducted a “dry practice” – a rehearsal with weapons but without live ammunition.

SSI explained that on the morning of June 5, the suspects, along with Kabir, drove to the church in the Golf car with the weapons concealed in sacks. Two of them sat with a woman roasting corn, buying some corn, before accosting and fatally shooting a young man hawking nearby, triggering chaos. They then allegedly stole a Nissan Sunny car from a man coming from Deeper Life Bible Church and drove into the church premises.

Inside the church, under Al-Qasim’s direction, they proceeded according to the plan. Abdulhaleem allegedly detonated at least three IEDs while the other attackers fired indiscriminately at worshippers. The attack resulted in the immediate deaths of 40 people, including women and children, while another 23 were wounded.

The witness also detailed the alleged role of the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar. He testified that Abubakar operated a Point of Sales (POS) unit in several locations and received N800,000 in his account in two installments approximately two to three weeks before the attack. He allegedly used the POS machine to distribute the money to members of the Al-Shabab Unit of ISWAP, including the defendants, without any apparent business transactions. Technical evidence also reportedly established communication between Abubakar and the other suspects during the period of the attack.

The prosecution presented medical reports related to the victims, 30 photographs from the scene of the incident, and the comprehensive investigation report compiled by the DSS team. All of these were admitted as evidence by the court.

The defense lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammad, did not object to the tendering of the report but requested time to study it before cross-examining the witness.

Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until February 18 at 11 am for the continuation of the trial.

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