Survivors of the June 5, 2022 terrorist attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, gave harrowing testimonies on Tuesday as the Department of State Services (DSS) tendered additional evidence against five suspects in the Federal High Court, Abuja.

The defendants—Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47)—face an amended nine-count charge including terrorism, conspiracy, and acts intended to cause mass casualties. All have pleaded not guilty.

The attack, which occurred during a Sunday Mass celebrating the Feast of Pentecost, remains one of the deadliest assaults on a place of worship in Nigeria. Armed assailants stormed the church, locked the main entrance, opened fire, and detonated explosives, killing at least 41 worshippers and injuring over 100 others.

During Tuesday’s proceedings, the prosecution called two new witnesses who provided graphic accounts of the attack:

• A male witness, identified as SSB, described how attackers forced their way through a secondary entrance, opened fire indiscriminately, and detonated explosives. He identified Al Qasim Idris and Abdulhaleem Idris among the perpetrators.
• A female witness, SSC, recounted surviving the assault while sustaining permanent injuries. She described seeing her two-year-old cousin killed in the attack and displayed the leg that had undergone four surgeries and still contained metal implants.

Both witnesses confirmed making extra-judicial statements to the DSS in May 2024, which were admitted into evidence as Exhibits B and C without objection from the defense.

DSS counsel, Adedayo Adedipe (SAN), said seven more witnesses are expected to testify, with two scheduled for the next hearing to provide further details on the planning, execution, and aftermath of the attack.

Presiding judge Justice Emeka Nwite adjourned the trial to January 14, 2026, for continuation.