An unspecified number of congregants were said to have been seized on Tuesday evening after armed bandits invaded a branch of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Oke Isegun in the Eruku community, a border town with Kogi in the Ekiti LGA of Kwara state.
A live-streamed video of the incident shows worshippers holding a service when sudden gunfire erupted around the church surroundings.
The church members, led by a young pastor, scrambled for safety as the gunshots grew louder, moments before armed men entered the building. The assault was reported to have taken place around 6pm.
More than five gunmen allegedly forced their way into the facility and searched the place of worship, taking with them personal items belonging to congregants.
Reports indicated that the attackers shot dead three worshippers and abducted the pastor along with others.
“The gunmen came into the church while people were gathered. They started shooting, and three people died immediately. They later rounded up some worshippers, including the pastor, and marched them into the bush,” according to reports.
A community leader, Benjamin Ayeoribe, was also quoted saying Eruku had suffered repeated bandit attacks for the past three weeks, adding that appeals for government intervention had brought no results.
“We have begged the local and state governments for help, but nothing concrete has come. We are living in fear every day,” he said.
The Kwara police command, however, said three people, including a vigilante, were injured in the incident and did not confirm the number of those killed or taken away.
In a statement, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, police spokesperson in Kwara, described the situation as “an attempted bandit attack in Eruku”.
She said the attackers retreated into the forest after officers and vigilantes engaged them.
Ejire-Adeyemi said “one male victim Mr Aderemi was discovered fatally shot inside the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun; while one Mr Tunde Asaba Ajayi another victim of fatal gunshot was found in the bush, a vigilante, Segun Alaja sustained gunshot injuries and was immediately rushed to ECWA Hospital, Eruku, for medical treatment”.
She quoted Adekimi Ojo, commissioner of police in Kwara, as praising the “swift response of the police and vigilantes”, noting that “he also assures the public that security agencies will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated.”
The incident occurred less than two days after bandits attacked Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi state and abducted 25 students.
