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A survivor of the June 5, 2022 attack on St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, has described how she narrowly escaped death after assailants detonated an explosive device beside her during Sunday Mass.
Testifying as the third prosecution witness under the pseudonym SSC, the student from Achara in Anambra State told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja that the attack occurred during the Pentecost Sunday service, which began around 8:00 a.m.
She said confusion reigned until an elderly woman seated next to her was shot dead. During the commotion, a man dragged her from her seat and ran towards the altar, where she met her brother, Chinedu Ojukwu. He helped her lie face down on the floor for protection.
She told the court that the gunmen later climbed onto the altar and questioned those lying there about the reason for the attack.
When she briefly raised her head, one attacker accused her of seeing his face, threatened to kill her and dropped an explosive device close to her head. Although she moved slightly with her brother’s help, the device exploded and badly injured her left leg.
She said she has undergone four surgeries, including skin grafting, now walks with an iron implant in her leg and remains under medical care. While being taken to hospital, she saw the body of her two-year-old cousin outside the church, shot in the back of the head.
The witness said she later learnt that 41 worshippers died in the attack, as reported in an obituary magazine published during the mass burial. Her statement to the State Security Service in Ondo State on 26 May 2024 was admitted in evidence.
Another prosecution witness, PW2, identified as SSB, a retired security officer and Owo resident, told the court that gunshots first rang out outside the church before assailants began firing inside, sending worshippers into panic. He said security personnel shouted for the doors to be locked as bullets hit the entrance.
PW2 testified that he saw an armed man enter the church and signal to another attacker. One gunman fired towards the choir gallery while another shot worshippers near the lectors’ stand. Several explosions followed, forcing him to lie face down in fear.
When the shooting stopped, he said three assailants inspected the church, apparently to confirm that everyone was dead, before signalling one another to leave. In court, he identified the second defendant as one of the gunmen he saw and the fourth defendant as an assailant carrying a bag, after initially pointing to another accused.
The defence objected to the change in identification, but the court ruled that the issue should be tested during cross-examination. PW2 added that after escaping through a window, he saw multiple bodies outside the church and said more than 40 people were killed. He described hospitals as overwhelmed, with some victims suffering amputations.
He also told the court that he returned to the church the next day and saw extensive damage and bloodstains. His 2024 statement to the SSS was admitted in evidence.
The Department of State Services has listed 10 witnesses in the case, which has been adjourned until 14 January for continuation of the trial.
