One of the five persons standing trial over the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo on Wednesday narrated to the Federal High Court in Abuja how he was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
The attack on the church, which occurred during Sunday service, left 41 worshippers dead and more than 140 others injured.
The trial, which commenced on August 1, 2025, has seen the DSS call 11 witnesses in an effort to establish its case against the five defendants. The court had earlier admitted the confessional statements of the accused persons after conducting a trial-within-trial to determine that the statements were voluntarily made.
The defendants are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47).
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At Wednesday's proceedings before Emeka Nwite, Omeiza, who opened his defence, was led in evidence by his counsel, Abdullahi Muhammad, during an accelerated hearing granted at the request of the DSS.
Although he described himself as an auxiliary nurse, Omeiza chose to give his testimony in Ebira, prompting the court to provide an interpreter.
He told the court that he was arrested on August 1, 2022, alongside two young boys identified as Hauwa and Yusuf at the house where he was staying.
"The night I was arrested, I used to wake up in the morning to read my book. When I woke up and was reading, I looked at the clock and it was 2:20 early in the morning.
"When I woke up, I was hearing noises. At that time, I dropped the book I was reading, I opened my window, viewed through the window and saw a group of people putting on black black and covering their faces. They forced open the door and entered," he stated.
According to him, the operatives were asking for his elder brother, Jamiu.
"There was a door close to my room and two small boys were there. They arrested them," he added, identifying them as Awal and Yusuf.
Omeiza further told the court that he later met the fifth defendant, Abubakar, at a DSS facility in Lokoja, where they were all detained.
He said the four of them were kept in a room where officials recorded their personal details, including their names, schools attended, occupations and their fathers' names.
The defendant stated that he volunteered a statement the following day and remained in detention until August 18, 2022, when he learnt that his elder brother had also been arrested.
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According to him, before they were transferred to Ondo State on August 18, the DSS had not questioned him about the Owo church attack or any alleged membership of the Islamic State West Africa Province (ISWAP) or any other terrorist group.
He added that upon their arrival at the DSS headquarters in Ondo State, he and his elder brother were kept in the same room where they were later interrogated about the church attack.
Justice Nwite adjourned further hearing in the case to March 6 for the continuation of the defence.
