‘It Felt Like The Ground Caved In’, Witness Recounts Owo Church Bombing In Court

A witness from the Department of State Services (DSS) has told the Federal High Court in Abuja that the St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, was bombed three times on Sunday, June 5, 2022, by suspected Al-Shabab terrorists, resulting in the immediate deaths of more than 40 worshippers.

The witness, who said he was coordinating the Mass on the day of the attack, testified that the explosions occurred just as the service was about to end.

Testifying on Thursday in the terrorism case filed by the DSS against five defendants, a clergyman, whose identity was concealed for security reasons, told Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court in Abuja that the impact of the third explosion at St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, felt “as though the ground caved in.”

The five accused persons on trial are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar.

The witness, who testified under the pseudonym “SSA,” recounted that before the bombing began, sporadic gunshots rang out within the church premises. Amid the chaos, he said he summoned the courage to reach the children’s hall and moved the children into a restroom to shield them from the attackers.

Led in evidence by the lead prosecutor, Ayodeji Adedipe, the witness stated that while he and the children were sheltering, a worshipper eventually informed him that the attackers had fled.

“I was in the church on June 5, 2022, coordinating Mass. As the service was about to end, we suddenly heard sporadic gunshots inside the church compound. Confusion broke out, but I managed to get to the children’s hall and move them to the restroom for safety,” he said.

“Along the line, I heard three loud explosions. The third was very close to where we were hiding, and the impact felt like the ground had caved in. The attack led to the instant death of more than 40 worshippers, while several others sustained varying degrees of injury and were taken to hospitals by ambulance.”

Meanwhile, Justice Nwite adjourned the continuation of the trial to January 13 and 14, 2026.

The judge had, on September 10, denied bail to the five suspected Al-Shabab members, noting that the charges against them were capital in nature. He also ruled that releasing them could enable them to intimidate witnesses or compromise the trial.