Owo church attack: How I was arrested – Suspect

DSS officers

One of the five persons accused by the Department of State Services of carrying out the June 5, 2022, attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State, on Wednesday, told the Federal High Court in Abuja how he was arrested by the secret police.

Omeiza opened his defence before Justice Emeka Nwite while being led in evidence by the defence lawyer, Abdullahi Muhammad.

The suspect gave his testimony in the Ebira language and was interpreted in English by a court staff member.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that a total of 41 worshippers were killed during the terror attack on the church, while over 140 others suffered various injuries.

The DSS had called 11 witnesses to establish the allegations against the defendants in the trial that began on August 1, 2025.

The trial court had admitted the confessional statements of the defendants following the conclusion of the trial-within-trial conducted to establish that the witnesses’ statements were voluntarily given.

The five defendants are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25) and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47).

The DSS had sought an accelerated hearing in the trial, which was granted by the court.

Omeiza, who claimed to be an auxiliary nurse, told the court that he was arrested on August 1, 2022, alongside two other young boys named Hauwa and Yusuf, in the same house.

“I normally wake up in the morning to read my book. As I was reading, I looked at the clock, and it was 2:26 am.

“Suddenly, I heard noises outside. I then dropped the book I was reading, opened my window, to see what was going on.

“I saw a group of people wearing all black clothes with a cover on their faces. They forced open the door and entered,” he stated.