The eighth witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) testified on Wednesday in the Federal High Court trial over the 2022 massacre at St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, strengthening the case against one of the defendants.
The witness, an operative of the Ondo State Security Network (Amotekun), corroborated the previous testimony from the seventh DSS witness, who had identified a suspect as part of the group that carried out the attack during a Pentecost Sunday service.
The operative specifically identified the second defendant, Al Quasim Idris, as one of the attackers allegedly involved in killing worshippers.
He told the court he arrived at the church shortly after the gunmen fled and later engaged them in a fierce gun battle in a nearby bush.
Led in evidence by prosecuting counsel Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN), the witness explained that security forces learned four attackers had escaped in a blue Nissan vehicle just as they arrived.
During the shootout in the bush, he said he clearly saw and exchanged gunfire at close range with Al Quasim Idris.
Although the suspects killed a volunteer hunter in the confrontation, the Nissan vehicle was recovered.Under cross-examination by defense counsel Abdullahi Mohammad, the witness said he could not recall how many personnel recovered the hunter’s body from the bush or the ownership details of the vehicle.
At the close of the session, Adedipe requested a three-day adjournment to present the prosecution’s final witnesses and close its case.
The defense did not object.Justice Emeka Nwite granted the request and adjourned the trial to March 24, 25, and 26 for continuation.
The June 5, 2022, attack on the Owo church claimed numerous lives and triggered widespread outrage, with the defendants facing charges including terrorism and mass murder.
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