A woman has recounted how she lost both legs and one eye during the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

The survivor, identified in court as SSD for privacy reasons, testified alongside her husband before a Federal High Court in Abuja during the ongoing trial of five men accused of the deadly assault.

The Department of State Services (DSS) is prosecuting Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris, and Momoh Otuho Abubakar on a nine-count charge. The attack claimed the lives of over 40 worshippers and left more than 100 others injured.

‘I Stepped Over Corpses Looking for My Son’

Testifying as the fifth prosecution witness (PW5), SSD’s husband, identified as SSE, said he attended Mass with his mother, wife, and their three children. He described how the congregation initially mistook the gunfire for celebratory Pentecost fireworks.

A church warden, known as the Man of Discipline (MOD), ordered worshippers to lie down and locked the main entrance, but the attackers began firing through the windows. SSE recalled the horror of the assailants throwing explosive devices at the crowd, creating clouds of dust and smoke inside the church.

“When the attackers finally left, I stood up and searched for my family, stepping over corpses on the floor,” he told the court. “At first, I did not recognise her, but later discovered the injured woman was my wife.”

SSD was taken to the Federal Medical Centre in Owo, where doctors amputated both legs. It was later discovered that one of her eyes was ruptured. SSE noted that the Ondo State Government had promised prosthetic legs for his wife, but nothing materialised.

Survivor Recounts Ordeal

Testifying as the fourth prosecution witness (PW4), SSD said she ran to the altar to escape the gunfire and lay down among other worshippers. She described hearing a loud explosion and losing awareness of her surroundings until calm returned.

“I touched my eyes and legs and realised the extent of my injuries. My legs were shattered, and I could feel only dangling parts. I also lost my left eye,” she said.

SSD spent more than five months in hospital and now relies on a wheelchair. At the court’s request, she was wheeled to the centre of the courtroom to show her amputated legs and damaged eye.

Presiding judge Emeka Nwite adjourned the hearing to February 10 and 11.