Owo church attack: Suspect Narrates Arrest by DSS in Court

One of the five defendants facing trial over the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, on Wednesday recounted before the Federal High Court in Abuja how he was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).

No fewer than 41 worshippers lost their lives, while more than 140 others sustained injuries during the tragic incident.
The defendants in the matter are Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza (25), Al Qasim Idris (20), Jamiu Abdulmalik (26), Abdulhaleem Idris (25), and Momoh Otuho Abubakar (47).
Since the commencement of trial on August 1, 2025, the DSS has presented 11 witnesses. The court admitted the confessional statements of the defendants after conducting a trial-within-trial to ascertain that the statements were made voluntarily.
Opening his defence before Justice Emeka Nwite, Omeiza stated that he was arrested in the early hours of August 1, 2022, alongside two young boys identified as Hauwa and Yusuf.
Testifying through an interpreter after electing to speak in Ebira, Omeiza told the court that at about 2:20 a.m., while he was reading, he heard unusual noises outside his residence.
“I looked through the window and saw several individuals dressed in black with their faces covered. They forced the door open and entered the house,” he said, adding that the operatives demanded to see his elder brother, Jamiu.
He further told the court that the officers apprehended other occupants of the house before taking him away.
According to Omeiza, he was transported to a DSS facility in Lokoja, Kogi State, where he later encountered the fifth defendant, Abubakar. He said their personal information was documented and that he voluntarily made a statement the next day.
He maintained that up until August 18, 2022, when they were transferred to Ondo State, he was not interrogated regarding the Owo church attack or any alleged affiliation with a terrorist organisation.
At the DSS office in Ondo, Omeiza said he and his brother were questioned about the church attack while being held in the same room.
Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned the case to March 6 for the continuation of the defence.