A witness in the ongoing trial of five men accused of masterminding the deadly 2022 St. Francis Catholic Church bombing in Owo, Ondo State, has given a harrowing account of the attack, revealing how an explosive device shattered her legs and blinded her left eye, leaving her permanently confined to a wheelchair.
NAIJAONPOINT , a trained nurse and housewife, testified before Justice Emeka Nwite at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court. She recounted how the blast from an explosive device, suspected to be dynamite, destroyed both her legs, which were later amputated above the knees, and caused permanent damage to her left eye.
Describing the attack in emotional detail, she explained how she fled to the church’s choir gallery in an attempt to escape, only to be caught in the explosion. She stated that, despite her severe injuries, she survived and was later taken to a hospital, where she lost her left eye and both legs.
“I was there praying in my heart that God would save my family because I did not know the direction they ran to,” NAIJAONPOINT shared. She also spoke about her attempt to call for help, despite her voice being gone.
She recounted her desperate plea for medical assistance while in pain and shock, saying, “I was trying to call for help, but my voice was not coming out. So, then I started waving my hands and saying ambulance, hospital.”
NAIJAONPOINT further revealed that 41 parishioners were killed in the attack, with many others severely injured. She described how she was hospitalized for five months and has since been using a wheelchair due to her amputations.
Additionally, another prosecution witness, SSE, a civil servant and husband of one of the victims, testified. He confirmed the tragic loss of 41 lives in the attack, and the devastating injuries sustained by his wife and mother. His wife, SSD, lost both her legs and her left eye to the explosion. SSE described his attempts to get support from the Ondo State Government for his wife’s artificial limbs, which were promised but never delivered.
Justice Nwite admitted NAIJAONPOINT statements as exhibits and adjourned the case to February 10 and 11, 2026, for further proceedings.