Justice Emeka Nwite of the Federal High Court, Abuja, has admitted additional confessional statements and a Digital Forensic Examination Report in the ongoing trial of five men accused of participating in the June 5, 2022, terrorist attack on St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State an incident that left 41 people dead and 140 others injured.
The trial judge also accepted into evidence a Tecno mobile phone alleged to contain communication exchanges among the defendants both prior to and after the attack.
The court admitted the new exhibits after counsel to the five defendants, Abdullahi Mohammed, did not raise any objections.
With the latest evidence formally entered, the Department of State Services (DSS), which is prosecuting the case, announced the closure of its case after presenting 11 witnesses in support of the charges.
Justice Nwite subsequently adjourned proceedings to March 4 and 5 to allow the defendants to begin presenting their defence.
Defence Plans and Access Request
Earlier in the session, defence counsel informed the court that the accused persons intend to testify in their own defence. He indicated that their case could be concluded within a single day.
However, he appealed to the court to direct the DSS to grant him unrestricted access to the defendants, who are currently in custody, to prevent any hindrance in preparing their defence.
DSS Witness Details Technological Investigation
The prosecution’s final witness, identified by the code name PSSK, described himself as a senior DSS operative overseeing forensic and counter-terrorism operations.
He recounted how he and his team were deployed to Owo in the aftermath of the attack to track down those responsible.
According to the witness, investigators employed geospatial network filtering technology to analyse thousands of mobile phone lines that had recorded interactions within Egbeka and Ifon around the time of the incident.
The operative testified that the filtering process eventually narrowed the investigation to a phone linked to the fifth defendant, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza, which led to his arrest in Ifon, Ondo State.
He further stated that Omeiza’s confession resulted in the apprehension of the remaining four defendants. Forensic analysis, he told the court, established that the suspects were engaged in a series of communications with each other before and after the attack.
The witness also informed the court that three of the defendants made multiple phone calls surrounding the time of the incident, suggesting familiarity among them. He emphasised that their arrests were the product of a structured technological investigation rather than coincidence.
During cross-examination, the DSS operative revealed that post-incident investigative efforts lasted more than a month. He added that all five defendants were arrested in August 2022 at various locations across Kogi and Ondo states.
What you should know
Justice Emeka Nwite has admitted additional confessional statements, a Digital Forensic Examination Report, and a Tecno mobile phone as evidence in the trial of five men accused of the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo.
The DSS has closed its case after calling 11 witnesses, and the defendants are scheduled to open their defence on March 4 and 5.
The prosecution’s final witness testified that geospatial technology and forensic analysis linked the suspects through phone communications before and after the attack.
