A survivor of the June 5, 2022, terror attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, told the Federal High Court in Abuja how the blast and gunfire left her with no legs and one eye, forcing her to rely on a wheelchair and prosthesis, court records show. The testimony came as five men remain on trial for their alleged roles in the attack.
The woman, identified in court only by her code name “SSD”, said she was inside the church hall during a Sunday service when she heard the first explosion and gunshots.
She said an explosive device was placed close to her head and detonated, shattering both of her legs and damaging her left eye.
SSD told the court she spent more than five months in the hospital recovering and has since used a wheelchair.
She said she underwent four operations and skin grafts, and that metal supports remain in her legs. With the court’s permission, she showed her injured limbs and eye to the judge as part of her testimony.
Her husband, identified as “SSE”, also testified in the trial and described how, during the chaos caused by gunfire and explosions, he waded through bodies inside the church while trying to locate his missing son.
He said he later found that his wife had been taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, where doctors amputated both of her legs and addressed her eye injury.
The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting the five accused men — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25) and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47) — on a nine‑count terrorism charge related to the Owo attack. The defendants have pleaded not guilty to all counts.
Other witnesses have described hearing multiple explosions and seeing dozens of worshippers killed or injured during the assault on the church, which occurred during a Pentecost Sunday Mass in 2022.
Some survivors have identified specific defendants in open court as participants in the attack.
The court has admitted statements from several prosecution witnesses as evidence, and proceedings are ongoing. Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned further hearings to continue later this month, as the trial progresses toward establishing responsibility for the deadly incident.
The trial will resume with additional witness testimony and cross‑examinations, as the court works to determine the facts of the case and the involvement of the accused in the attack that left many dead and injured.
