How Suspected ISWAP Members Attacked Owo Catholic Church — DSS Witness Tells Court
A Department of State Services (DSS) witness on Tuesday gave detailed testimony before the Federal High Court in Abuja, describing how suspected ISWAP members allegedly planned and carried out the June 5, 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State. Testifying under protection, the witness said investigations revealed that those arrested belonged to an Islamic State West African Province (ISWAP) cell operating around Okene/Adavi LGA in Kogi State and parts of Ose LGA in Ondo State. The cell, he said, was coordinated by a man identified as Odoba, who allegedly moved around Ogaminana in Adavi LGA. According to the witness, the attack was planned days earlier. He told the court that on May 30, 2022, Odoba convened a meeting at Government Secondary School, Ogaminana. Present at the meeting was Al-Qasim Idris and other members of the cell. During that meeting, Odoba allegedly instructed them to prepare for an attack on the Catholic church in Owo and specifically dir...