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A Catholic priest yesterday gave a harrowing account before the Federal High Court in Abuja of how terrorists armed with explosives attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, killing over 40 parishioners on June 5, 2022.
The priest, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, provided his Evidence-in-Chief in the ongoing trial of five alleged members of the Al Shabab terrorist sect accused of orchestrating the attack. He disclosed that the assailants detonated at least three explosives inside the church.
According to the witness, who testified behind a protective shield, the attack occurred near the end of the First Pentecost Sunday service, a period that typically draws a large congregation. He recounted that the church service was almost over when sporadic gunshots erupted, throwing worshippers into panic and chaos.
“I was the priest assigned to lead the community in worship, which is known as the Holy Mass,” he told the court. “The attack was launched toward the end of the service. While performing the last rites and as the congregation began singing the closing hymn, I suddenly heard a loud sound. At first, I thought someone had fallen, but then I noticed two men from our congregation rushing to lock the main entrance. Another elder came to the sanctuary and urgently told me, ‘Father, we are under attack.’ From that moment, I heard sporadic gunfire, initially outside the church, and was instructed to leave immediately.”
Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, the priest, identified in court as PW-1 or “SSA,” described June 5, 2022, as a day that would remain etched in his memory due to the traumatic experience.
“It was a violent incident that resulted in the death of over 40 members of our community. Some of us were maimed, and several of us still live with permanent physical injuries,” he lamented.
