“Terrorist Bombs Shattered My Legs and Took My Eye” – Owo Church Massacre Survivor Testifies

By Kayode Lawal

A Department of State Services (DSS) witness, code-named SSD, told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the explosive device detonated during the terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church (also known as St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church), Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, shattered both her legs—leading to amputation above the knees—and destroyed her left eye.

The witness, a trained nurse and housewife, testified on Wednesday before Justice Emeka Nwite that she has been confined to a wheelchair for life as a result of the devastating injuries. She also permanently lost sight in her left eye due to the severity of the blast.

She was testifying as a key eyewitness in the terrorism trial of five defendants accused of masterminding the attack: Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47). The suspects pleaded not guilty to the nine-count charge when arraigned last year.

Led in evidence by prosecution counsel Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, the victim described how terrorists stormed the church, firing sporadically.

In panic, she ran to the choir gallery for safety. Amid the thick crowd there, the assailants hurled an explosive device—suspected to be dynamite—causing widespread destruction, including the shattering of her legs and eye.

She spent five months in the hospital before discharge and noted that 41 church members lost their lives, while many others sustained varying degrees of injury.

After her testimony, the DSS called the fifth prosecution witness, code-named SSE—an eyewitness and the husband of SSD. A civil servant from Owo, he recounted how the terrorists attacked during the service, killing 41 parishioners and injuring about 100 others.

He confirmed that his wife (SSD) lost both legs and her left eye in the incident, while his mother sustained a knee injury. He personally signed the consent form for his wife’s double amputation at the hospital.

The witness added that the previous Ondo State government promised his wife prosthetic legs, but the vendor failed to deliver functional ones before the administration’s term ended.

“The current Ondo State government is not doing anything about it. I have called the Commissioner for Health several times, but they are not taking any action,” he told the court.

The court admitted the statements of both witnesses as exhibits and adjourned the trial to February 10 and 11, 2026, for continuation.