A harrowing account of the devastating June 5, 2022, terrorist attack on St Francis Catholic Xavier Church, Owo, Ondo State, was presented before Justice Emeka Nwite of the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court during the ongoing trial of five men accused of masterminding the deadly incident. A prosecution witness, code-named SSD, a trained nurse and housewife, gave an emotional testimony detailing how the explosion irrevocably altered her life, leaving her permanently confined to a wheelchair, blind in one eye, and without her legs.

The witness recounted that the explosive device, believed to be dynamite, shattered both her legs, which were subsequently amputated above the knees. The blast also permanently damaged her left eye, necessitating the use of a prosthesis. She described how the impact destroyed human lives instantly, and how she lost her two legs and eye in the chaos. Her injuries were so severe that she spent five months in the hospital and has been using a wheelchair since her discharge, lamenting that she has also lost her source of livelihood.

During her testimony, led by prosecution counsel Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, SSD narrated how gunmen stormed the church during Sunday Mass, firing sporadically and forcing worshippers to flee in terror. She ran to the choir gallery in a desperate bid to save her life. However, due to the heavy crowd gathered there, the attackers hurled the explosive device directly into the area. She recalled lying down near the altar, amidst many others, praying for her family and for God's mercy as the gunshots continued. Then came a loud sound, which she identified as dynamite. She subsequently lost consciousness, only to realize she was alive when everything became calm.

Upon regaining awareness, she discovered blood everywhere, her voice was gone, and her hearing was faint. Touching her leg, she could feel nothing but what felt like rags and the dangling, shattered parts of her limb. Unable to speak, she waved her hands, signaling for an ambulance and hospital. She was eventually taken to the hospital along with other victims and deceased individuals. The attack resulted in the deaths of 41 church members and left approximately 100 others with varying degrees of injuries.

The five defendants currently standing trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47). They had all pleaded not guilty to the nine-count terrorism charge during their arraignment last year. Justice Nwite admitted the statements of both witnesses as exhibits.

Following SSD's testimony, another prosecution witness, code-named SSE, identified as a civil servant residing in Owo and SSD's husband, corroborated his wife's account. SSE also provided a graphic description of the attack, confirming the casualty figures and noting that his own mother sustained a knee injury during the incident. He revealed that he personally signed the consent form for his wife’s bilateral leg amputation at the hospital.

SSE further disclosed a distressing lack of governmental support for his wife’s recovery. He stated that the Ondo State Government had initially promised to provide his wife with artificial legs, but this commitment was never fulfilled, as the vendor could not provide useful prosthetics until the tenure of that administration elapsed. He added that repeated efforts to secure assistance from the current Ondo State administration have yielded no results. He told the court,