The trial over the June 5, 2022 massacre at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo took a dramatic turn on Tuesday as a senior operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) told a Federal High Court in Abuja how the deadly assault was allegedly funded, planned and executed.
Testifying as the ninth prosecution witness (PW9), the DSS officer – identified only as SSI – said he led the counter-terrorism investigation into the attack that claimed more than 40 lives and left over 100 others injured.
The five defendants standing trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, 25; Al-Qasim Idris, 20; Jamiu Abdulmalik, 26; Abdulhaleem Idris, 25; and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, 47. They are being prosecuted by the DSS for alleged complicity in the attack.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), the witness told the court that his team was mandated to uncover the perpetrators, sponsors and circumstances surrounding the massacre.
According to him, intelligence gathering and technical surveillance led to the arrest of five suspects in August 2022 across Kogi and Ondo states.
He alleged that the accused were members of the Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP), a proscribed terrorist organisation, operating as part of a cell around Okene/Adavi Local Government Area of Kogi State and parts of Ose Local Government Area of Ondo State. The cell, he said, was coordinated by a man identified as “Odoba,” who allegedly operated from Ogaminana in Adavi LGA.
The court heard that on May 30, 2022, Odoba convened a meeting of members of the ISWAP cell at Government Secondary School, Ogaminana. At that meeting, the witness said, instructions were issued to attack St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo the following Sunday and to ensure that the priest was killed.
Al-Qasim Idris was said to have attended that meeting and later convened another gathering in Omilafia, where he relayed the directive to other cell members, including his brother Abdulhaleem Idris and Jamiu Abdulmalik. The meeting, according to the witness, took place after Jumaat prayers at a mosque where the Idris brothers’ father serves as Chief Imam.
Two additional individuals – identified as Mohammed and Abdullahi – were allegedly recruited to reinforce the team.
Weapons Procurement and “Dry Practice”
The witness testified that on June 4, 2022, Abdulhaleem Idris travelled to Adavi, Kogi State, where he hired a Volkswagen Golf 3 vehicle. He allegedly met Odoba, who supplied five AK-47 rifles, 10 magazines, ammunition and improvised explosive devices (IEDs) for the operation.
By evening, the group reportedly gathered at Abdulhaleem’s residence in Omilafia, where the attack plan was reviewed and a “dry practice” conducted – described in court as handling the weapons without live rounds to rehearse safety procedures.
The men allegedly spent the night together, and Al-Qasim was said to have used his father’s motorcycle to deliver items to Mohammed and Abdullahi to facilitate surveillance of the church and coordinate logistics for the following day.
The Attack
Providing a chilling account of the events of June 5, the witness said the first to fourth defendants, along with a suspect identified as Kabir – currently at large – were driven to the church between 8:00 and 8:30 a.m., with weapons concealed in sacks.
Upon arrival, they allegedly met Mohammed and Abdullahi outside the church. According to the witness, two of the attackers sat near a woman roasting corn and purchased some corn to avoid suspicion. A hawker who appeared to observe them closely was reportedly shot dead after one of the attackers whispered to him.
The gunshot triggered panic, the court heard. The assailants allegedly hijacked a Nissan Sunny vehicle from a passerby and drove into the church premises, where they began shooting indiscriminately inside and outside the sanctuary.
Abdulhaleem Idris was said to have detonated at least three IEDs while others fired at worshippers attempting to flee.
The witness stated that 40 people – including women and children – died at the Federal Medical Centre, while 23 others were treated for injuries. He added that a non-member was the first casualty, killed outside the church.
After initially focusing on the first four defendants, the witness told the court that it was an oversight not to have earlier detailed the role of the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar.
He alleged that Abubakar operated point-of-sale (POS) terminals at five locations and received two deposits totalling N800,000 approximately two to three weeks before the attack. The funds were allegedly distributed via the POS machines to members of what he described as the “Al-Shabab unit” of ISWAP, including the defendants.
Technical evidence, the witness added, showed that the fifth defendant was in communication with the others around the time of the attack.
During Tuesday’s proceedings, the prosecution tendered several pieces of evidence, including a medical report, autopsy findings on some of the victims, 30 photographs from the crime scene marked Exhibits M – M30, and a comprehensive investigation report. All were admitted without objection from the defence.
Defence counsel Abdullahi Mohammad told the court he did not oppose the admission of the investigation report but requested time to study it, noting that it had been served on his team only a few days earlier.
With no objection from the prosecution, the court adjourned proceedings until Wednesday, February 18, at 11 a.m., for continuation of the trial and cross-examination of the witness.
