Owo Massacre: Eyewitness Survivor, Mojisola Benson Recounts Her Escape, Injury, and Heartbreak

The June 5, 2022, attack on St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church in Owo, Ondo State, South West Nigeria remains etched in the hearts of Nigerians as a dark day of horror and sorrow.

For 50-year-old survivor, Mojisola Adunni Benson, the tragedy is not just a headline,  it is a painful memory that continues to shape her life.

The fateful Sunday morning began like any other, with worshippers gathered in quiet devotion. But their peace was shattered in an instant by a deafening explosion. Chaos erupted as gunfire followed, cutting down innocent congregants and turning the house of worship into a scene of carnage.

Mojisola Benson recalls the terrifying sight of lifeless bodies strewn across the floor, the air thick with screams and the echo of gunshots. Amid the panic, she managed to escape through a window, sustaining injuries as she scrambled for safety.

Her only thought was for her aged grandmother, whom she had accompanied to church that morning. But as the violence raged on, Mojisola was forced to hide in the nearby bushes, trembling, praying, and listening helplessly as gunmen unleashed terror.

When security operatives eventually arrived and the attackers fled, survivors began to emerge from hiding. But for Mojisola, the nightmare was far from over. The sight of her grandmother’s lifeless body among the dead remains the most devastating moment of her life.

Haunted by the trauma, grief, and unanswered questions, Mojisola’s story echoes the heartbreak of countless families affected by that senseless massacre — a tragedy that continues to demand justice and healing.