'How I was arrested by DSS operatives' - Alleged Owo church attacker tells court
A defendant in the ongoing trial of five men accused of being behind the June 5, 2022 attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State, Idris Abdulmalik
A defendant in the ongoing trial of five men accused of being behind the June 5, 2022 attack on the St. Francis Catholic Church, Owo in Ondo State, Idris Abdulmalik Omeiza has told a Federal High Court in Abuja how he was arrested by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS).
Omeiza spoke while testifying for himself as his first defence witness at the resumed hearing in the case on Wednesday.
The DSS is prosecuting Omeiza, Al Qasim Idris, Jamiu Abdulmalik, Abdulhaleem Idris and Momoh Otuho Abubakar over the attack.
The prosecution closed its case on February 19 after calling 11 witnesses, following which the defence opened its case on Wednesday, beginning with the first defendant.
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Led in evidence by his lawyer, Abdullahi Muhammad, Omeiza spoke in Ebira language, which was interpreted in English by an official of the court.
Omeiza said he is an auxiliary nurse and that he was arrested on August 1, 2022 in the same house with two young boys, whose names he gave as Awal and Yusuf.
The first defendant said:"The night I was arrested, I used to wake up in the morning to read my book. When I woke up and was reading, I looked at the clock and it was 2:26am in the morning.
"When I woke up, I was hearing noises. At that time, I dropped the book I was reading, I opened my window, viewed through the window and saw a group of people putting on black black and covering their faces. They forced open the door and entered."
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He said the security agents asked about his elder brother, Jamiu, adding: "There is a door close to my room, and there were too small small boys there. They arrested them. "
Omeza told that court that he met the fifth defendant, Momoh Otuho Abubakar, who was also arrested by the same security agents, at the DSS' facility in Lokoja, Kogi State's capital.
He said while at the DSS' office in Lokoja, they were all kept in a room where information in respect of their names, schools attended, their work, and their father's name was obtained and recorded.
The defendant said he volunteered his statement the following day and was kept in detention till August 18, 2022 when he got to know that his elder brother had also been arrested.
He said before August 18, 2022, when they were moved to Ondo State, the DSS officials did not mention to him anything about the Owo Catholic Church attack and membership of ISWAP or any other terror organisation.
Omeiza said when he was taken to the Ondo State DSS' office, he was detained in the same room with his elder brother, where interrogators questioned them about the attack on Owo Catholic Church.
Further hearing in the case resumes on March 6 before Justice Emeka Nwite.
