A crucial witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) has identified two of the five defendants standing trial for the horrific 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. The testimony, delivered on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, provided chilling details of the assault that claimed dozens of lives during a Sunday mass.
Chilling Testimony from a Survivor
The witness, identified in court as SSB for security reasons, was present in the church on June 5, 2022, when attackers struck during a mass marking the Feast of Pentecost. He described the moment panic erupted. "We were having our normal mass," he testified. "Just about the time the church was closing, we heard a gunshot outside the church compound."
He recounted how another shot at the gate threw the congregation into chaos, followed by sporadic shooting inside the compound. A church security member, known as a Man of Order and Defence (MOD), ran towards the building shouting for the doors to be locked. However, the assailants forced their way in through another entrance.
"I saw one man holding a gun. He looked at the church, up and down, then he used his hand to beckon on someone behind him to come forward," the witness stated. When asked by the prosecution counsel, Adedayo Adedipe (SAN), if he could recognize this man, the witness pointed directly to the second defendant, Al Qasim Idris (20).
Identification of Attackers and Detonation of Explosives
Resuming his harrowing account, the witness identified the fourth defendant, Abdulhaleem Idris (25), as another participant. He described how this second man emerged with a gun and began shooting towards the choir gallery, while the first gunman targeted people at the lector's seat.
The terror escalated with the detonation of multiple explosive devices inside the sacred space. "We heard a sound of explosive, there was the second explosive again and the third one," the witness said. "At that time when I heard the third explosive, I became very afraid and fell on my face to the ground. Then, I heard the fourth explosive."
As the attackers prepared to leave, the witness saw three men, one of whom carried a bag across his shoulder, appear to assess the carnage. He recognized the bag-carrier as the fourth defendant, Abdulhaleem Idris. After the assailants departed, the witness escaped through a window, encountering tragic scenes outside. "I saw the dead body of a woman beside a car and another dead body of a man, beside the fence," he told the court.
Survivor Accounts and Ongoing Trial
The prosecution also called a third witness, a female survivor identified as SSC. She gave a heartbreaking account of surviving with severe injuries to her left leg after an explosive detonated beside her. She testified that one of the gunmen climbed to the altar and asked the terrified congregation, "do you know why we are doing this?"
Noticing her movement, an attacker threatened her directly. "He said, 'you that are looking at me, you will die immediately.' And he dropped the dynamite beside my head and he left," she recounted. The explosion severely damaged her leg, which has since undergone four surgeries and skin grafting. She also lost her two-year-old cousin in the attack, who was shot in the back of the head.
Both witnesses confirmed providing detailed statements to the DSS at its Akure office. The female survivor stated that 41 people died instantly, with over 100 injured, a figure she based on an obituary magazine published on the day of the victims' burial. The male witness estimated the death toll at over 40, describing a hospital overwhelmed with casualties, including many who had limbs amputated.
The five men being prosecuted in connection with the attack are: Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47). The trial is set to continue on January 14 at noon.
