More than three years after the brutal terrorist attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, the trial of the alleged masterminds and perpetrators finally commenced on Thursday at the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The Department of State Services (DSS) opened its case against five suspected ISWAP terrorists accused of storming the church on June 5, 2022 – Pentecost Sunday – and massacring over 40 worshippers while injuring more than 100 others in one of the darkest days in Nigeria’s history.
The defendants – Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al-Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) , all pleaded not guilty to the amended charges after they were read to them in open court.
Presiding Justice Emeka Nwite granted the prosecution’s request for accelerated hearing and fixed January 13 and 14, 2026, for continuation of trial.In a chilling testimony that left many in the courtroom in tears, the first prosecution witness, the Catholic priest who celebrated the ill-fated Pentecost Mass, recounted how the peaceful service turned into a scene of horror within seconds.Protected for security reasons and testifying behind a screen, the priest told the court:
“As we were singing the recessional hymn and the Mass was ending, there was a loud explosion. Immediately after, there was commotion everywhere. Two parishioners quickly locked the main door from inside. An elder rushed to me and said, ‘Father, they are attacking us.’”
He described how gunmen opened indiscriminate fire while detonating at least three explosives inside the church premises. One of the bombs, he said, landed just metres away from the safe room where he had taken several children for cover.
“I saw blood everywhere. My choir master was shot in the chest right in front of me. We carried the wounded and the dead to the hospital in my vehicle and those of parishioners. It was a massacre,” the priest said, his voice breaking.
Under cross-examination, the priest maintained that the chaos made it impossible for him to identify any of the attackers.Lead prosecution counsel, Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), told the court that more witnesses, including forensic experts and survivors, will be presented in subsequent sittings.
The Owo church attack, widely condemned across the world, remains one of the most gruesome assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria’s recent history. Thursday’s proceedings mark the first time the alleged perpetrators have faced justice in open court.
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