Bandits Storm CAC Church During Live Program in Kwara, Kill, Abduct Several Worshippers

By Tgnews Reporter

Armed bandits attacked a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Oke Isegun, Eruku community, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Tuesday evening, killing many people and abducting an unconfirmed number of worshippers, including possibly the pastor.

The Kwara State Police Command confirmed the incident occurred around 6:00 pm on November 18 during an evening church programme. Police spokesperson Toun Ejire-Adeyemi said operatives and local vigilantes responded swiftly to reports of gunfire.

“Upon thorough search of the area, one male victim, Mr Aderemi, was discovered fatally shot inside the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun; while another victim, Mr Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was found in the bush with fatal gunshot wounds,” the spokesperson stated. A vigilante member, Segun Alaja, sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to ECWA Hospital in Eruku for treatment.

Initial reports from community sources and some media outlets claimed three worshippers were killed during the attack, with the pastor among those abducted. Other accounts suggested up to five deaths across two separate incidents in Eruku that evening, including an earlier ambush along a nearby road.

A chilling livestream video from the church, widely circulated on social media, captured the terrifying moments of the assault.

The footage shows worshippers engaged in prayer and singing, led by a young pastor, when sudden gunfire erupts outside. Panic ensues as congregants scream and duck for cover, with the pastor heard urging calm before more than five armed men storm the building, ransacking the premises and seizing valuables.

Community leaders say Eruku, a border town with Kogi State, has suffered repeated bandit attacks over the past three weeks despite appeals to security agencies. “We have been under perpetual attacks… distress calls to authorities have yielded no tangible response,” local leader Benjamin Ayeoribe told reporters.

The Kwara State Police Command described the incident as an “attempted bandit attack” and said calm has been restored, with investigations ongoing. No official statement from the state government has been issued at the time of this report.

The attack is the latest in a string of violent incidents in Kwara’s border communities, highlighting growing concerns over insecurity in Nigeria’s North-Central region. Rights groups, including the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) Kwara chapter, have condemned the assault and called for urgent federal and state intervention to address rising banditry in Ekiti LGA.