An unconfirmed number of worshippers were reportedly abducted on Tuesday evening when bandits attacked a branch of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Oke Isegun in the Eruku community, a boundary town with Kogi in the Ekiti LGA of Kwara state.
A video of the attack, captured during a live stream, shows the worshippers conducting a service when sporadic gunshots were heard from around the church premises.
The congregation, led by a young pastor, scampered for safety as the gunshots intensified, after which some bandits were seen entering the church. The attack reportedly happened at about 6pm.
More than five armed bandits stormed the building and ransacked the place of worship, carting away belongings of the worshippers.
The attackers killed three worshippers and took the pastor and an unknown number of members away.
“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,” The PUNCH quoted a witness as saying.
The report also quoted a community leader, Benjamin Ayeoribe, as saying that Eruku has been under banditry attacks in the last three weeks, noting that distress calls to authorities have yielded 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.
Meanwhile, the police command in Kwara said three persons, including a vigilante were injured in the attack without confirming the number of those abducted or killed.
In a statement, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, police spokesperson in Kwara, said operatives in collaboration with vigilantes, responded to what he called “an attempted bandit attack in Eruku”.
She said the bandits fled into the bush following the intervention of the police team and the vigilantes.
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 commending the “swift response of the police and vigilantes”, adding that “he also assures the public that security agencies will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated”.
The latest attack comes less than 48 hours after some bandits raided Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi state and abducted 25 schoolgirls.
