An officer of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, on Monday told a Federal High Court sitting in Abuja that he engaged one of the attackers behind the June 5, 2022, massacre at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, in a gun battle and later identified the man in court as the second defendant.
The reports that the Department of State Services is prosecuting five persons – Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25) and Momoh Abubakar (47) – on nine counts of terrorism, over the attack that left over 40 worshippers dead, with many others injured.
The witness, code-named SSG, an Assistant Commander with Amotekun and a resident of Owo, said he and his team encountered the fleeing attackers in the bush shortly after the church shooting, following intelligence from eyewitnesses.
SSG told the court that he was initially responding to a kidnapping incident at Shagari Village in Owo when he received a call from his commander directing him to abort the mission due to the attack at the church.
He said that on arrival at St Francis Catholic Church, he saw spent AK-47 shells scattered around the premises, while inside the building were lifeless bodies of men, women and children, alongside several injured worshippers.
According to him, the injured victims were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, while the corpses were taken to St Louis Hospital.
SSG further told the court that intelligence gathered from a corn seller and a motorcycle rider revealed that the attackers escaped in a blue Nissan vehicle towards the Achievers University axis along the Ute Road.
He said his team pursued the assailants and later found the vehicle abandoned around the Ijebu area.
“The vehicle was blue, with registration number AKR 895 AG. We also found sachet water inside,” he said.
The witness said the vehicle was taken to the Amotekun office in Owo, after which the team tracked the suspects’ footprints into the bush.
He said the trail became unclear near a cocoa farm, and while surveying the area, he noticed movement in a nearby bush.
“I suddenly saw the muzzle of an AK-47 rifle pointed at me,” he said.
SSG said he attempted to respond with his pump-action gun but realised it was in safety mode, adding that after disengaging it, a gun duel ensued.
He told the court that while other attackers escaped into the bush during the exchange, one of them hid behind a tree and shot a hunter accompanying the security team, killing him instantly.
“At that point, my priority was to evacuate the dead hunter to the mortuary at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo,” he said.
When asked to identify the person he saw during the shootout, SSG pointed at the second defendant in the dock and reaffirmed his identification during cross-examination.
He added that the suspect was later arrested through the joint efforts of the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the Department of State Services and other security agencies.
The witness also identified photographs of the recovered vehicle and stated that the car remains in the custody of security agencies.
Earlier, a pathologist, code-named SSF, told the court that he conducted post-mortem examinations on victims of the Owo church attack.
SSF said he was invited by the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Awo Ajaka, and conducted the autopsies in Owo.
He said all the bodies examined showed multiple gunshot injuries caused by firearms fired from different directions, resulting in massive internal bleeding and death.
The pathologist identified several victims by name and body numbers in the forensic report tendered in evidence, adding that the original copy was submitted to the Ondo State Government.
During cross-examination, SSF said he could not determine the exact type of firearm or bullets used, explaining that he was a pathologist and not a ballistic expert.
The court upheld the prosecution’s objection and discharged the witness.
The case was adjourned until February 11 for continuation of the trial.