Eruku town in Kwara State was thrown into chaos on Tuesday evening when armed masked men interrupted a church service and killed five worshippers, kidnapped many and later injured several, including a local vigilante, in their escape bid.
A viral video confirmed that the outlaws stormed a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun branch, and abducted several worshippers, including the officiating pastor.
According to eyewitnesses (names withheld), the attackers invaded the church during a gathering and opened fire, killing about five members on the spot.
“They also took away some worshippers,” she said amidst tears.
The kidnappers escaped with the kidnapped worshippers into nearby bush paths.
Residents say the incident has further heightened fear across the Eruku–Egbe boundary communities, which have faced repeated attacks in recent weeks.
The state police command has confirmed the Tuesday attack in Eruku.
The Command’s image maker, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, in a statement, said the incident happened at about 18:00.
“The DPO Eruku and his team of police operatives, in collaboration with vigilantes, swiftly responded to the sound of gunshots emanating from the outskirts of the town, prompting the hoodlums to flee into the bush.
“Upon thorough search of the area, 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 stated.
The commissioner of police in the state, Adekimi Ojo, commended the swift response of the police and vigilantes; he also assured the public that security agencies will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated.
Kebbi schoolgirl escapes captivity.
One of the 25 schoolgirls abducted by terrorists from a boarding school in Kebbi State has escaped from captivity and returned home, the school’s principal confirmed on Tuesday.
The Guardian can authoritatively report that the bandits launched a deadly attack on the Government Girls Comprehensive Secondary School, Maga, in Danko-Wasagu Local Government Area, on Monday, November 17. During the invasion, the gunmen killed a staff member and abducted 25 students, taking them into the surrounding forests.
According to the principal, Musa Rabi Magaji, one of the abducted girls managed to slip away from the captors and found her way home late on Monday, just hours after the mass abduction. Her unexpected return has offered a glimmer of hope to anxious families awaiting news of their children.
Magaji also disclosed that another student, who was not among the 25 officially listed as abducted, managed to escape during the chaos of the attack.
She added that security operatives have intensified search-and-rescue missions across the area amid rising concerns over the resurgence of school kidnappings that have continued to plague northwestern Nigeria.
