The Digest:
A Catholic priest has testified in the trial of five suspects accused of carrying out the 2022 attack on St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo. He described a scene of chaos, gunfire, and explosions that claimed over 40 lives.
Key Points:
- A Catholic priest gave emotional testimony in the trial of five Owo church attack suspects
- The June 2022 attack killed over 40 worshippers and injured more than 100
- Suspects are charged with terrorism for allegedly joining Al-Shabaab’s Kogi cell
- The priest described locking doors, moving children to safety, and hearing three explosions
- He testified that one blast made it feel “like the ground opened to swallow us.”
- Defendants pleaded not guilty to amended terrorism charges
- Trial adjourned to January 2026 for further hearing
In a courtroom heavy with memory, a priest’s testimony wove horror with humanity, a sacred duty to recall, to name, to witness. Even in the rubble, the act of testifying becomes its own kind of sanctuary, rooted not in revenge, but in reckoning.
Sources: The Cable, The Nation
