More than three years after one of Nigeria’s deadliest terror attacks on a place of worship, harrowing testimony at the Federal High Court in Abuja has reopened the human wounds left by the June 5, 2022, bombing of St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
A Department of State Services (DSS) witness, identified in court as SSD, told Justice Emeka Nwite on Wednesday that the explosive device used in the attack shattered both her legs, blinded her left eye, and permanently confined her to a wheelchair.
“I lost both my legs above the knee and my left eye,” the witness— a trained nurse and housewife—told the court while testifying in the terrorism trial of five men accused of masterminding the massacre. “I will be on a wheelchair for the rest of my life.”
Inside the Attack
SSD recounted how gunmen stormed the church during Sunday Mass, firing sporadically and sending worshippers scrambling for safety. She said she ran toward the choir gallery, hoping to escape the violence.
Instead, she found herself trapped in a dense crowd.
“They threw an explosive device into the gallery,” she said, describing what prosecutors believe was dynamite. “My legs were destroyed. My eye was shattered.”
She spent five months in hospital, undergoing multiple surgeries. Forty-one parishioners were killed in the attack, while more than 100 others suffered injuries ranging from gunshot wounds to amputations.
The five defendants—Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar—have all pleaded not guilty to a nine-count terrorism charge brought by the DSS.
A Husband’s Account: ‘I Signed for the Amputation’
After SSD’s testimony, prosecutors called another witness, SSE, her husband and a civil servant based in Owo. His account added a second layer of devastation to the narrative.
“I signed at the hospital for the amputation of my wife’s two legs,” he told the court.
He said his mother also sustained serious injuries in the attack, while the family’s hopes for post-trauma support have since faded.
According to SSE, the Ondo State Government initially promised his wife prosthetic legs but failed to deliver a functional pair before the end of its tenure.
“The current government is not doing anything about her,” he said. “I have called the Commissioner for Health several times. Nothing has been done.”
Both witnesses’ statements were admitted into evidence.
More Survivors, More Evidence
Earlier proceedings also heard testimony from additional witnesses, identified as SSB and SSC, who described how the attackers locked the church doors, fired into the congregation, and detonated explosives multiple times.
One female witness told the court she narrowly escaped death after a dynamite charge was placed near her head. She moved just in time, but the blast shattered her leg. She later displayed the injured limb in court with the judge’s permission, explaining it had undergone four surgeries and still contains metal implants.
Another witness confirmed that three separate explosions rocked the church and that bodies were counted after the attackers fled.
DSS prosecutors tendered the witnesses’ extrajudicial statements, which were admitted as exhibits without objection from the defence.
Trial Continues
The DSS says it plans to call seven more witnesses as the trial progresses. Justice Nwite has adjourned proceedings to January 14, with additional dates in February set for continuation.
The case remains one of Nigeria’s most closely watched terrorism trials, not only for its legal implications but for the unresolved questions it raises about justice, victim support, and accountability—long after the headlines have faded.
