Owo Church Attack: Amotekun commander identifies gunman in court

Proceedings in the trial over the June 5, 2022 massacre at St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, took a dramatic turn on Monday as an officer of the Ondo State Security Network Agency, Amotekun, identified one of the defendants as a gunman he confronted shortly after the attack.

Testifying before the Federal High Court in Abuja, the officer, code-named SSG, said he engaged one of the fleeing assailants in a gun battle in the bush and later recognised him as the second defendant standing trial.

The Department of State Services is prosecuting five suspects — Idris Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25) and Momoh Abubakar (47) — on nine terrorism-related counts stemming from the attack, which claimed the lives of more than 40 worshippers and left many others injured.

SSG, an Assistant Commander with Amotekun and a resident of Owo, told the court that he was initially responding to a kidnapping at Shagari Village when he received a directive from his commander to abort the mission because of the church attack.

On arrival at the church premises, he described a harrowing scene.

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According to him, 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.

He said the wounded were rushed to the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, while the dead were taken to St Louis Hospital.

SSG testified that intelligence from a corn seller and a motorcycle rider indicated that the attackers fled in a blue Nissan vehicle towards the Achievers University axis along Ute Road.

He said his team gave chase and eventually discovered the abandoned vehicle around the Ijebu area.

“The vehicle was blue, with registration number AKR 895 AG. We also found sachet water inside,” he said.

The car was subsequently moved to the Amotekun office in Owo. From there, the security team followed footprints into the bush.

According to SSG, the trail became faint near a cocoa farm. While surveying the area, he noticed suspicious movement.

“I suddenly saw the muzzle of an AK-47 rifle pointed at me,” he said.

He explained that he attempted to fire his pump-action gun but realised it was still in safety mode. After disengaging it, a gun duel ensued.

During the exchange, he said, other attackers escaped deeper into the bush, but one hid behind a tree and shot a hunter who was assisting the security team, killing him on the spot.

“At that point, my priority was to evacuate the dead hunter to the mortuary at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo,” he said.

When asked in court to identify the person he encountered during the shootout, SSG pointed at the second defendant. He maintained his identification under cross-examination.

He added that the suspect was later apprehended through a joint operation involving the police, the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps, the DSS and other agencies.

The witness also identified photographs of the recovered vehicle, stating that it remains in the custody of security authorities.

Earlier in the proceedings, a pathologist, code-named SSF, testified that he conducted autopsies on victims of the Owo attack at the request of the Ondo State Commissioner for Health, Dr Awo Ajaka.

He told the court that all examined bodies had multiple gunshot wounds inflicted from different directions, leading to severe internal bleeding and death.

SSF identified several victims by name and body numbers as contained in the forensic report admitted into evidence, noting that the original copy was submitted to the Ondo State Government.

Under cross-examination, the pathologist said he could not determine the exact type of firearm or bullets used.

He explained that he was a pathologist and not a ballistic expert.

The court upheld the prosecution’s objection during questioning and discharged the witness.

The trial was adjourned until February 11 for continuation.

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