Deborah Akinyosoye
At least five persons have been killed and several others abducted after suspected bandits launched two separate attacks in Eruku, a boundary town with Kogi State in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Tuesday.
In the first incident, the attackers stormed a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) during a special service, shooting sporadically before targeting worshippers.
Reports show that three worshippers were shot dead on the spot, while the pastor and an unspecified number of congregants were whisked away into the bush.
An eyewitness, who pleaded not to be named, said, “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 exact number of abducted victims remains unclear, but residents said the gunmen escaped through bush paths leading to neighbouring communities in Kogi State.
Earlier in the evening, the bandits reportedly launched another violent attack along the Ilorin–Kabba Road, forcing travellers and residents to abandon their vehicles and flee into nearby bushes.
A traveller returning from Niger State, who recorded a distress voice note, said, “We suddenly ran into them. Everybody abandoned their cars and scattered into the bush. They came around 6:30pm and started shooting. Two people were killed instantly, and we don’t even know how many were taken, they are still shooting, you can hear it.”
A community leader, Mr. Benjamin Ayeoribe, revealed that Eruku has been under “perpetual attacks for the last three weeks,” lamenting that repeated distress calls to authorities have yielded no tangible response.
“We have begged the local and state governments for help, but nothing concrete has come. We are living in fear every day,” he said.
Ayeoribe added that despite resistance from vigilantes, local hunters, the police, and the Eruku Progressive Union, the relentless attacks have overwhelmed the community.
“We need federal help. These attacks are becoming too much for us to bear. We are pleading with the President to intervene urgently,” he said.
When contacted on Tuesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said she had not been formally briefed.
“I am yet to get the details of such an attack, although I have received several calls. I will get back to you as soon as I get something,” she said.
Kwara has witnessed a disturbing rise in banditry, killings, and kidnappings for ransom in recent months, with border communities bearing the brunt of repeated assaults.
Last Friday, a joint team of police officers and vigilantes killed a suspected bandit during a gun battle at Adekanbi village, near Bodine-Saadu in the Moro LG of the state.