By Adejola Adeyemi Crown
Eruku community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State was thrown into panic on Tuesday evening when gunmen stormed the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, abducting 35 worshippers and killing three others, sources said.
The attack occurred around 6:00 p.m. during a thanksgiving service held for 18 individuals who had earlier been kidnapped and later rescued.
Eyewitnesses said the bandits overpowered the congregation and took several people hostage.
Some families of the victims have reportedly been contacted by the abductors, who are demanding N100 million as ransom for each victim.
Chief Olusegun Olukotun, Olori Eta of Eruku, whose four relatives are among those kidnapped, confirmed the ransom demand.
“From what we gathered from the kidnappers’ camp, they have grouped the victims according to their relations and are now calling our people through each group.
Some people in the community have received calls demanding N100 million per person,” Olukotun said.
The pastor of CAC Oke Isegun, Bamidele Lawrence Abiodun, also confirmed that some families had been contacted but said he could not independently verify the exact ransom demands.
Olukotun expressed gratitude to the government and security agencies for their support following the attack, particularly Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the police, and DSS operatives, who visited the community to offer assistance and reassurance.
He urged authorities to strengthen security in Eruku, a border community with Ekiti and Kogi states, and provide more sophisticated weapons to vigilante groups to help prevent future attacks.
