Bandits who abducted worshippers at the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State have demanded ₦100m ransom for each victim, community sources disclosed on Friday.
The gunmen had stormed the church in Eruku on Tuesday during a service, killing three worshippers and whisking away about 30 others.
A community leader and Olori Eta of Eruku, Chief Olusegun Olukotun, whose four relatives were among the victims, said the attackers had begun reaching out to families.
Olukotun, who said he had been in the church with five of his family members, explained that he and one of his wards escaped through a window at about 6.06pm when the shooting started.
“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 of the groups.
“Some people in the community have received calls from the kidnappers demanding ₦100m for each person. As for my own people, I have not received any call concerning them yet,” he said.
The pastor of the church, Abiodun Bamidele, also confirmed that between 30 and 35 worshippers were abducted.
“The bandits came and kidnapped almost 30 to 35 members of the church.
We were holding a Thanksgiving service for the 18 people kidnapped here three weeks ago, and all of them were rescued,” the cleric said.
Angered by the latest attack, youths in Eruku on Wednesday blocked the Ilorin–Kabba highway, causing gridlock as they protested what they described as the failure of security operatives to respond during the incident, which reportedly lasted close to an hour.
A youth leader, Peter Adesiyan, faulted the police division in the area, saying residents had supported the building of its facilities but officers failed to act when needed most.
Meanwhile, the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, has called for an urgent security reinforcement in the council to curb what he described as a disturbing resurgence of attacks in border communities.
The Eruku incident adds to a string of recent security breaches affecting settlements along the Kwara–Kogi axis.
