An operative of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday told the Federal High Court that phone analysis placed five men accused of carrying out the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, at the scene of the incident.
Testifying before Justice Emeka Nwite, the witness said call data records showed that the defendants — Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar — were in the vicinity of the church at the time of the attack. He said telecommunications cell site analysis traced their phones and conversations to locations around the premises.
The officer added that the DSS obtained what he described as sufficient technical evidence linking the first to fourth defendants to the attack. He also told the court that the defendants made voluntary confessional statements.
According to him, the statements were taken in the presence of a representative of the Legal Aid Council after the defendants indicated they could not afford legal representation or have family members present. He identified the accused persons in court and described how the statements were obtained.
Defence counsel, Abdullahi Mohammad, objected to the admissibility of the confessional statements, arguing that his clients did not make them and urging the court to order a trial-within-trial.
Justice Nwite overruled the objection and declined the request for a trial-within-trial, holding that such a procedure applies where the voluntariness of a statement is challenged, not where a defendant denies making it. The judge upheld the prosecution’s position, presented by Ayodeji Adedipe (SAN).
Earlier, another prosecution witness, who led the DSS investigation, testified that the defendants were arrested in August 2022 in Kogi and Ondo states and later interviewed in Abuja. He alleged that they are members of ISWAP operating under a cell known as Al Shabab.
The witness further told the court that the suspects used explosives and firearms during the attack, arrived in a rented vehicle and later hijacked another car from a worshipper as a getaway vehicle. He also alleged that meetings were held in Ogaminana prior to the attack, during which instructions were given.
He maintained that the investigation was thorough and that no additional suspects were arrested in connection with the case.
The trial was adjourned to February 19 for continuation of proceedings.
