Owo Church Attack Trial: Court hears how defendant alleges DSS abuse, intimidation, forced confession

A defendant in the ongoing trial over the 2022 attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, told a Federal High Court in Abuja on Wednesday that he was subjected to alleged abuse and intimidation by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS), who also attempted to compel him to confess to the offence.

Al-Qasim Idris, who testified before Justice Emeka Nwite, said he and other suspects were allegedly maltreated while in DSS custody.

He told the court that he spent three days in hospital following the alleged abuse before being moved to an underground cell, where a female DSS officer interrogated him over his alleged involvement in the incident.

According to him, the officer insisted he was lying after he maintained his innocence and warned that he could be detained for up to 50 years without his family being informed of his whereabouts.

“She said that if I died in detention, they would give my body to crocodiles to feed on,” he said.

Idris also alleged that DSS operatives forced him to make a written statement and directed him on how to respond to questions during interrogation.

He further claimed that another DSS officer, Segun Kayode, told him that there were orders to kill him but that he was being given “one chance” to confess.

He maintained his innocence throughout the questioning.

The defendant told the court that he and two other suspects were later questioned about locations linked to data from their mobile phones during the attack.

He explained that any discrepancies in his phone’s location data were due to his presence at a nearby farm in Elegbeka, within walking distance of Omi-Alafia.

Justice Nwite adjourned the matter to March 26 for continuation of trial.