The Federal High Court in Abuja has delved into intricate details of how digital forensic tools were instrumental in tracking and apprehending suspects linked to the horrific June 5, 2022, massacre at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. The court proceedings, presided over by Justice Emeka Nwite, heard extensive testimony from the 11th and final prosecution witness, codenamed SSK, a senior agent and digital forensic lead with 29 years of experience with the State Security Service (SSS), also referred to as the Department of State Services (DSS).

SSK, who holds master's degrees in forensic science and information technology, testified that his expertise lies in converting raw data into "forensic actionable intelligence that meets international standards for judicial admissibility." Following the directives from the SSS Director General after the attack, his team embarked on a mission to trace, locate, and apprehend the perpetrators. This involved filtering thousands of mobile devices that connected to cell towers around Owo, Elegbeka, and Ifon. Through the application of geospatial network filtering and cell tower triangulation, their search was narrowed down to one of the defendants, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, the first defendant in the case.

A critical component of the tracking process was the International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) number. SSK explained that each phone possesses a unique digital fingerprint, an IMEI number, making it impossible for two phones to share the same one. This distinct identifier allowed the team to precisely trace, locate, and ultimately arrest the first defendant. His apprehension subsequently led to the arrests of other defendants, identified as Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar, all of whom are facing terrorism charges related to the attack that tragically claimed the lives of about 40 worshippers and injured many others.

Further analysis of communication frequency revealed significant bidirectional calls between Omeiza and two other defendants, Jamiu Abdulmalik and Al Qasim Idris, between March 1 and July 30, 2022. This communication occurred both before and after the attack, indicating a clear connection among the individuals. The digital forensic examination report, detailing these findings, was tendered by the prosecution and admitted by the court as Exhibit T. Additionally, a black Tecno mobile phone allegedly belonging to the first defendant was presented without objection and admitted as Exhibit U, matching the IMEI reflected in the call data records.

SSK further elaborated on the mobile phone data, stating that on the day of the attack, June 5, 2022, at approximately 7:23 a.m., Omeiza's phone was triangulated within a 35-kilometer radius of the church. This distance, he noted, could be covered by car in 30 to 40 minutes. Despite the first defendant reportedly applying a "no phone call rule" as a trained terrorist, his mobile phone remained active. The movement of the phone across various cell towers served as a "silent witness," providing crucial insights into his pre-attack and post-attack movements.

Earlier in the trial, the 10th prosecution witness, SSJ, another SSS agent, testified about how four of the suspects were tracked down through phone call analysis. SSJ also detailed how he recorded the statements of the first to fourth defendants individually on August 18, 2022. He confirmed that the defendants indicated they could not write perfectly in English, prompting him to record their statements after asking if they could write them themselves. Each interview reportedly took an average of 10 hours. The extrajudicial statement of the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, dated November 9, 2022, was also admitted as Exhibit S.

Under cross-examination, defence lawyer A.A. Mohammed questioned SSK's qualifications, to which the witness responded that his appointment was gazetted and most of his training was service-sponsored, citing the covert nature of his organization for declining to specify the exact date he began forensic work. He confirmed investigations commenced immediately after the June 5, 2022, attack and that the first defendant was arrested in Eika, Kogi State. All defendants were apprehended in August 2022 across different locations in Kogi and Ondo states. SSK justified bringing only one phone to court due to its specific relevance to the case.

Following SSK's testimony, the prosecution team announced the closure of its case. Mr. Muhammad, counsel for the defendants, applied for an interpreter in the Ebira language for the five defendants, who hail from Kogi State, and sought access to the fifth defendant's statement and his clients in DSS custody to prepare their defence. Justice Nwite adjourned the matter until March 4 and 5 for the defence to present its case.