Panic as Bandits Abduct 30 Worshippers in Church Attack

According to Daily Trust, fresh information has emerged regarding a troubling incident in which over 30 individuals were abducted during an attack on the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, located in Eruku, within the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

This incident occurred on Tuesday at approximately 6:00 PM and resulted in the tragic deaths of three people.

Pastor Lawrence Bamidele, while speaking to journalists, confirmed that more than 30 congregants were kidnapped. Notably, this church service was initially a thanksgiving event celebrating the safe return of 18 individuals who had been abducted a fortnight earlier.

During the service, which was being streamed live, gunfire erupted, causing panic among attendees.

Many worshippers sought refuge behind the church’s chairs, but the assailants managed to enter the building after firing from outside.

Disturbingly, one of the attackers was observed carrying away personal belongings from the congregation, while several others used masks to conceal their identities, with one gunman seen operating a flashlight.

Kwara State’s Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, provided an update on the situation, confirming the death toll had risen to three.

He noted that law enforcement is still working to determine the exact number of abductees, as they are coordinating with families and local leaders to conduct a head count.

The police have developed a systematic approach to compiling an accurate list of missing individuals in response to conflicting reports from the community.

“Three people had been confirmed dead. Two of the victims died immediately at the scene when the bandits opened fire inside the church during an evening programme. A third victim, who was evacuated to the hospital, later died on Wednesday afternoon,” Ojo said.

He clarified that contrary to earlier speculations, no pastor was killed. He said the resident pastor of the church, Mr Bamidele, was the person who spoke to the police team at the scene and assisted in rushing one of the victims to the hospital.

The commissioner added that no arrest had been made as of Wednesday afternoon.

He said a combined team of police operatives, local vigilantes and intelligence units were already inside the surrounding bushes tracking the escape route of the attackers.

He confirmed that security presence had been intensified across Eruku and neighbouring communities due to repeated incidents in the area in recent weeks.

However, chairman of the Eruku Progressive Union, Elder Sola Daniel, said, “twenty-seven people were taken by the bandits during the attack.”

He said the “community had compiled the names of all abductees. The complete list is not with me now but the union has documented every missing person.”

Elder Daniel said the people of Eruku felt exposed due to the frequency of attacks.

He said the community had resolved to carry out a peaceful protest to the Government House in Ilorin on Thursday to appeal directly to the governor.

He said the objective of the protest was to demand a more permanent security arrangement and a thorough investigation into the repeated crimes in the area.

The Chairman of Ekiti Local Government, Awelewa Olawale, who also confirmed the death of the third victim, said his vigilante team arrived in Eruku immediately after the incident to join forces with the local vigilante network.

He said the “bandits shot two people dead inside the church and injured a third person who was transported to the hospital. The victim later died in the hospital.”

He said the vigilante teams from both the local government and Eruku community entered the bush early in the morning to pursue the attackers.

According to him, the operation was ongoing and the teams were still inside the forest at the time he spoke.

The chairman said the Commissioner of Police, the Director of the Department of State Services and other senior security officials were already in Eruku monitoring developments.

He said Eruku had been under repeated attacks because of its location close to the state boundary.

He added that the area had been exposed to movements from neighbouring forests and that residents had lived under tension for weeks before the latest incident.