A Catholic priest, on Thursday, gave a chilling testimony before the Federal High Court in Abuja, recounting how terrorists armed with explosives attacked St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, on June 5, 2022, killing 40 members of his congregation.

Testifying in the trial of five alleged Al Shabab members accused of orchestrating the attack, the priest, whose identity was withheld for security reasons, revealed that the attackers detonated at least three explosives inside the church.

He told the court that the service was nearing its conclusion when gunfire erupted, sending worshippers into panic and chaos.

Speaking from behind a protective shield, the priest said he was assigned to “lead the community in worship, which is known as the holy mass” when the violent outbreak occurred.

The attack coincided with the final moments of the First Pentecost Sunday service, which had attracted a large congregation.

Led in evidence by the prosecution counsel, Mr. Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, the priest, identified in court as PW-1 and simply referred to as “SSA,” described June 5, 2022, as a day etched in his memory due to the trauma he endured.

He said: “This is so because it was the day when the violent attack was launched on us, myself and all the worshipping community of St Francis Catholic Church, Owo, Ondo State.

“It was an incident which led to the death of over 40 persons among us. While some of us became maimed, some of us, till this point, have permanent physical injuries.

“I recall that the attack was towards the end of the worship that day. I was the priest assigned to lead the community in worship, which is known as Mass.

“Towards the end of the mass, I was performing the last rites, and the people of God had started singing the recessional hymn, the closing hymn.

“Suddenly, I heard a loud sound. I looked into the congregation, facing them. There was already a commotion, which, for me, I thought was somebody who had fallen.

“But I sighted two men from our congregation; these men were members of our community.

“They quickly locked the main entrance door, and another elder in the church came to me in the sanctuary and said to me, ‘Father, we are under attack.’

“From this point, I heard the sporadic shooting of guns. This was still outside the church. This elder told me, ‘Father, you have to leave.’”

The priest explained that he initially hesitated to leave the sanctuary, largely out of concern for the children, who affectionately called him father.

“Taking my leave from the sanctuary, some adults and I moved some of these children into a safe place; this is an attachment to the church.

“When I was in this place (the safe place), I continued to hear the continuous shooting of guns and the use of about three explosives.

“The third explosive landed very close to the safe place, where I was with the children, with the effect of which looked like the opening of the ground.

“The effect was like the ground opening to swallow us immediately. So, the attack continued. After a while, some of our church members came into this place (safe place) and notified us that those who came to attack us had left. Moving out with the children, I saw my choir master shot in the chest.

“He called me to pray for him. I did, but I told him I have to move him to the hospital. When I got out, I saw some already dead on the floor.

“So, I shouted that if there are any of us who could still drive, let us begin to move our brothers and sisters to the hospital.”

When asked if he could determine the exact number of casualties immediately after the attack, the priest explained:

“It was with that violent attack that I understood that proverb that says, ‘The one struck or hit by a vehicle does not wait to take note of the vehicle’s number plate.’ So, I could not immediately count the number of those that were dead.

“Personally, I went two times to the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Owo, to take the casualties to the hospital.

“By the time I came the second time, there were already ambulances, both from FMC Owo and St Louis Catholic Hospital, Owo, also moving the casualties to these two hospitals.

“The second time I got to FMC, the emergency ward was filled up with these casualties. The casualties were those that were killed and injured.

“With the wailing, weeping and crying from people, I could not even drive again. The care and healing of those injured continued.”

He added that he later provided a statement to the Department of State Service (DSS) in Akure, Ondo State.

During cross-examination by defence lawyer, Abdullahi Mohammad, the priest said he could not determine the number of attackers due to the chaos and his priority to save victims, particularly the children.

With the commotion in the church and my desire to rescue the victims, especially the children, as quickly as possible, I could not and I did not identify