Owo church massacre: Suspects were funded, mobilised for attack, DSS witness tells court
A witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) has told the Federal High Court, Abuja that suspects standing trial over the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church were funded, armed, and mobilised before the assault.
Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite, the witness, identified only as SSI for security reasons, said he led the DSS counter terrorism investigation into the massacre.
The DSS is prosecuting five defendants: Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar on a nine count charge.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Ayodeji Adedipe, the witness said he was tasked with identifying the perpetrators, their sponsors, and the circumstances surrounding the attack, which left more than 40 people dead and over 100 injured.
According to him, intelligence gathering and technical analysis led to the arrest of the suspects in August 2022 across Kogi State and Ondo State.
He told the court that investigations showed the defendants were members of Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP), operating around Okene and Adavi as well as parts of Ose LGA under a coordinator identified as Odoba.
The witness said Odoba allegedly convened a meeting on May 30, 2022 at Government Secondary School, Ogaminana, where instructions were given to attack the church in Owo and kill the priest.
He added that further meetings were held in Omilafia where the suspects prepared for the operation. Abdulhaleem Idris allegedly hired a vehicle on June 4 and received weapons including five AK47 rifles, magazines, ammunition, and improvised explosive devices.
The group reportedly carried out a rehearsal before spending the night together ahead of the attack. On the morning of June 5, they drove to the church in a hired Volkswagen Golf with weapons hidden in sacks.
The witness said the attackers opened fire and detonated explosives within and around the church premises, shooting at worshippers attempting to escape.
He told the court that 40 victims, including women and children, later died at the Federal Medical Centre, while 23 others were injured.
The prosecution tendered a medical report, photographs from the scene, and a comprehensive investigation report, all of which were admitted in evidence without objection.
On the role of the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, the witness said he operated multiple POS outlets and received N800,000 in two payments weeks before the attack. He allegedly distributed the funds to members of the Al Shabab unit of ISWAP, including the defendants, with no evidence of legitimate business transactions.
Technical analysis also showed communication between him and the other accused persons around the time of the attack.
Defence counsel Abdullahi Mohammad requested time to study the investigation report before cross examination. Justice Nwite adjourned the case for continuation of trial.
