A couple recounted their traumatic experiences during the June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, while testifying at the Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday. The trial involves five men accused of orchestrating the deadly assault.
The husband, identified as SSE, described wading through the bodies of worshippers while searching for his missing son. He recounted how gunmen first fired through windows before entering the church, throwing explosives at areas where people were gathered. “For almost two to three minutes, the device was exploding, destroying both human beings and church structures,” he told the court. SSE identified his wife among the victims he initially mistook for another woman, later learning she had been severely injured.
His wife, SSD, a nurse with the Ondo State Hospital Management Board, testified to the devastating impact of the blast on her body. She described losing her left eye and both legs, now using prosthetics and a wheelchair. In court, she demonstrated the injuries sustained, showing her damaged eye and amputated legs to the judge, Justice Emeka Nwite, after approval. SSD said she spent over five months in the hospital recovering from the injuries and recounted the chaos and fear she experienced during the attack.
Both witnesses detailed the attackers’ use of guns and dynamites and admitted uncertainty over the exact number of assailants or victims present at the altar. They learned later that the attack claimed 41 lives, with many others injured.
The DSS, prosecuting Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar on terrorism-related charges, continues to present witnesses and exhibits to establish the planning and execution of the assault.
Justice Nwite adjourned the trial for further hearing to February 10 and 11, 2026, as the court continues to examine testimonies and evidence surrounding one of Nigeria’s deadliest attacks on a place of worship.
