Court admits more confessional statements, forensic reports against Owo Catholic Church attackers

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday admitted additional confessional statement and Digital Forensic Examination Report against the accused persons standing trial for their alleged complicity in the June 5, 2022 terror attacks against St Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State in which 41 people diead and 140 others injured.

Justice Emeka Nwite admitted the statement, Digital forensic examination report along with a mobile phone that revealed the exchange of communications among the defendants before and after the terror attack.

The Judge admitted the exhibits following absence of objections to their admission by the counsel to the five defendants Mr Abdullahi Mohammed.

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

At Thursday’s proceedings, the Department of the State Service (DSS) which put the accused persons on trial formally closed its case after calling 11 witnesses that testified against the defendants to establish the alleged offences against them.

Following the development, Justice Nwite gave the defendants who are facing 9-count charges, March 4 and 5 to open their defence in the heinous crime.

The lawyer for the accused persons had earlier informed the court that only the defendants would give evidence for themselves and that he could complete the defense in just one day.

He, however, urged the court to direct the DSS to allow him access the defendants in its custody so as to avoid obstacles in the defense.

At the proceedings, the last witness of the DSS code named PSSK a Senior Operative with DSS in charge of Forensic and Counter terrorism, revealed how he was drafted along with others to proceed to Owo, venue of the attack to trace, locate and apprehend the perpetrators of the crime.

He told the Court that geospatial network filtering was adopted and which filtered thousands of mobile phone lines that have contacts with Egbeka and Ifon.

As a result of the technology adoption, the witness said the result narrowed down to the phone of the 5th defendant, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza leading to his arrest in Ifon town of Ondo State.

The witness further stated that the confession of Omeiza led to the arrest of the four others, adding that forensic examination carried out on theirs phones revealed that they were in series of communication with each other before and after the attack.

Specifically, the DSS told the court that three of the defendants made several calls before and after the attack which showed that they knew one another, adding their arrest was not by accident but by the use of technology.

Answering a question during cross examination, the DSS operative said the post incident investigation lasted for more than a month adding that all the five defendants were apprehended in August 2022 at different locations in Kogi and Ondo States.

Court admits more confessional statements, forensic reports against Owo Catholic Church attackers