…As Amotekun official identifies suspect in the dock
By Ikechukwu Nnochiri
ABUJA—A Federal High Court sitting in Abuja, yesterday, admitted into evidence the autopsy report of victims of the 2022 terrorist attack that killed 40 members of St. Francis Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State.
The Federal Government tendered the report through its sixth witness (PW-6) in the ongoing trial of five defendants accused of complicity in the attack that also left over 100 persons wounded.
The witness, who was simply identified as “SSF,” introduced himself as the pathologist, who conducted the autopsy on the corpses of the deceased victims.
The PW-6 gave the names of some corpses reflected in the autopsy report, as Ajanaku Adesina (listed on page 11 of 35 as body number nine); John Bosede (listed as body number 17 on page 18 of 35); Onileke Ilerioluwa (listed as body number 13 on page 14 of 35); and Onuoha Deborah (listed as body number 4 on page 29 of 35).
According to the witness, “Generally, all the bodies bore the marks of gunshot injuries, arising from bullets from fire arms that would have been fired from varying distances from the bodies and causing organ ruptures and skeletal damages that would caused massive bleeding and exsanguination so that they died.”
Trial Justice Emeka Nwite admitted the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the autopsy report in evidence and marked it as an exhibit.
Earlier in the proceedings, yesterday, another witness who told the court that he was a member of the Ondo Security Network (Amotekun), identified the 2nd defendant, Idris, as one of the armed men that carried out the attack.
Led in evidence by the prosecuting counsel, Mr. Ayodeji Adedipe, SAN, the 7th witness who was identified as “SSG,” told the court that it was his state commander that alerted him that the attack was going on and also ordered him and his team to move to the church immediately.
He told the court that when his team got to the church, he saw blood everywhere and corpses of children, men and women on the floor and the church hall.
The witness insisted that he saw at least 35 corpses within the church premises.
He said upon further enquiry, his team was told that the assailants left the church in a Nissan Sunny car and went towards a particular direction.
“We learnt the attackers moved towards Achievers University at Ute Road. I pursued them with my men on our patrol vehicle.
“When we got to Ijegunman Village, and immediately they saw us, they ran into the bush. They are four in number.
“As they ran into the bush, they left the vehicle by the side of the road in Ijegunman, Ute. I searched the vehicle, saw a pack of pure water.
“The colour of the vehicle is blue. The registration AKR/895/AG Nissan Sunny. So, I sent two of my men to drive the vehicle to Amotekun office in Owo,” the witness added.
More so, the witness told the court that he and a hunter who worked with his team went after the fleeing attackers in the bush and, at a point, ran into them where they were hiding.
He said the attackers, who each had an AK47 rifle, started shooting at them, a development that made him to respond with his own Pump Action gun.
He said during the exchange of gun fire, three of the attackers ran deeper into the bush, leaving who hid behind a tree and aimed at him with his AK47 rifle.
According to the witness, during the exchange of gunshots, the hunter that accompanied him into the bush was killed.
He maintained that he saw the man who shot and killed the hunter at a close range and could still identify him, even though the incident happened about four years ago.
When he was asked to go closer to the dock and look at the defendants, the witness, pointed at the 2nd defendant, Idris, and insisted he was the one.
Continuing his evidence, the witness told the court that a day after the church was attacked, he took pictures of items that included a vehicle that was recovered, before they were transferred to the Amotekun state headquarters.
SSG said he used his phone, a Samsung Galaxy A12 to take the picture of the vehicle.
The picture was also admitted in evidence by the court.
Justice Nwite adjourned further hearing on the matter till today.
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