Witness recounts losing legs, eye in Owo Catholic church bombing

From Godwin Tsa, Abuja

A prosecution witness has narrated a chilling account of how an explosive device used to attack St Francis Catholic Xavier Church, Owo, in Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, shattered her two legs, which were later amputated above the knees.

The witness, who is a trained nurse and housewife, further told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court that she lost her left eye to the explosions that rocked the church during the deadly attack.

While testifying in a terrorism charge against five defendants accused of masterminding the Owo church attack, the witness emotionally informed the court that she has since been confined to a wheelchair for the rest of her life as a result of the attack.

The five defendants accused of masterminding the terror attacks are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25 years), Al Qasim Idris (20 years), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26 years), Abdulhaleem Idris (25 years) and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47 years).

They had, however, during their arraignment last year, pleaded not guilty to the nine-count charge.

She further stated that her left eye has also permanently gone blind as a result of the severity of the attack on the church.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, the victim, who is an eyewitness to the terror attack, narrated how the terrorists stormed the church shooting sporadically, making her run to the choir gallery for the safety of her life.

While at the choir gallery, she told the court that because of the thick crowd at the gallery, the assailants threw an explosive device suspected to be dynamite, which led to the destruction of human beings, including the shattering of her two legs and eye.

She said she spent five months in hospital before she was finally discharged, and added that 41 members of the church lost their lives and several others sustained various degrees of injury in the incident.

After her evidence, the DSS lawyer called the fifth prosecution witness, code-named SSE, who is also an eyewitness and the husband of the fourth prosecution witness.

The witness, a civil servant residing in Owo, Ondo State, narrated how the terrorists attacked the church on the fateful day, killing 41 parishioners and leaving about 100 people injured.

Aside from his wife (SSD), who lost her two legs and a left eye in the incident, he stated that his mother also sustained a knee injury, adding that he signed at the hospital for the amputation of his wife’s two legs.

The witness said that after the amputation of his wife’s legs, the Ondo State government promised her artificial legs, but that the vendor was unable to provide useful artificial legs until the tenure of the government elapsed.

“The current Ondo State government is not doing anything about her again. Several times, I called the state Commissioner for Health, but they are not doing anything about it,” he told the court.

The court admitted the statements of the two prosecution witnesses as exhibits and fixed February 10 and 11 for continuation of trial.