On November 18, daredevil gunmen wreaked havoc at the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegba, Eruku, killing and abducting worshippers with little resistance. DARE AKOGUN examines the state of affairs in the community after the attack
When gunshots first rang out inside the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegba, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, many residents initially dismissed them as firecrackers from youths marking the end of the harvest season.
But within seconds, the sounds grew sharper, rapid and relentless, like machine-gun fire cutting through the air.
By then, it was too late for the victims to take any meaningful safety measures as heavily armed bandits stormed the church.
Within minutes, the festive thanksgiving atmosphere dissolved into screams of terror and despair as three worshippers were shot dead and 35 men, women and children abducted.
The service, Saturday PUNCH gathered, was organised to celebrate the successful rescue of 18 members earlier kidnapped by marauding gunmen.
Death in God’s house
For Adesuyi Joshua, the night has become a wound he may never recover from.
“They took my wife and my granddaughter,” he said, his voice trembling.
“They dragged them out of the church along with more than 30 others. At first, we thought the gunshots were firecrackers, but within minutes, we realised death had entered the house of God.”
Joshua said he and other youths mobilised to confront the attackers but what followed was a betrayal more painful than the abductions.
“Police fired shots at us. They tear-gassed us when we chased the bandits. They allowed them to escape,” he claimed.
His accusation is now echoed by dozens across the once-peaceful Yagba-speaking border town.
Police accused of negligence
By noon on Wednesday, when Saturday PUNCH visited the town, tempers were running high as residents struggled to contain their anger.
Hundreds of youths had mounted bonfires on the Ilorin–Kabba Expressway, bringing trailers, petrol tankers and buses to a standstill for hours.
Standing beside a smouldering heap of tyres, a youth leader, Shola Peters, accused the Eruku Police Division of gross negligence.
“We built houses for the DPO and his men. They are our brothers, but when the bandits came, they failed us,” Peters lamented.
Pointing at the police station across the road, he fumed, “Instead of joining us to pursue the attackers, they stopped us. The IG must probe this division. All they do is arrest youths and label them cultists or Yahoo boys.”
He said the youths, armed with only one pump-action rifle and a Dane gun, confronted terrorists wielding AK-49 rifles and General Purpose Machine Guns.
“We tried, but their firepower was too much,” he said.
Attackers’ disturbing pattern
A local vigilante, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment, described the timing of the attack as suspicious.
“Two days before the attack, our forest guards and vigilantes were taken away for training. That was how Oke-Ode was attacked too, after vigilantes’ rifles were withdrawn. The government must investigate,” he said.
In a region ringed by thick forests stretching into Kogi and Ekiti states, a security vacuum can be deadly.
For Feyisara, the latest attack is painfully familiar. Her mother was abducted months ago while returning from the market.
According to her, the kidnappers demanded N10m but accepted N4m after the family sold everything and begged.
“My mother has not recovered. She has high blood pressure and trembles at the sound of a knock. This new attack shows the government has abandoned us,” she said, watching smoke billow from the youths’ barricade.
Blame game in Ekiti LG
Another resident and farmer, Funmi Anifowose, blamed the collapse of local security support on the leadership of the Ekiti Local Government Area.
“Our vigilantes used to protect us. The previous council supported them with ammunition; not anymore. I can’t farm, I can’t travel to Ilorin. This chairman we voted for is like we brought trouble upon ourselves,” she said.
She accused the council chairman, Awelewa Gabriel, of neglect.
“He doesn’t pick calls; he doesn’t stay at the secretariat. He spends his time at his block industry. Is that how a chairman should behave?” she asked.
Some security operatives and vigilante members deployed to Eruku told Saturday PUNCH that the chairman repeatedly refused to provide patrol logistics.
One of them said, “We patrol over 120km daily with just 25 litres of fuel. When we complain, he says the government is already paying us.”
But the LG Legislative Speaker, Michael Fatoyinbo, dismissed the claims as politically motivated.
He said the chairman had refurbished a Hilux for vigilantes at N3.6m, bought a Bajaj motorcycle for the DPO and dispatched vigilantes on the night of the attack.
“These allegations are aimed at maligning the chairman,” Fatoyinbo said.
‘It’s targeted genocide’ – CAN coordinator
The Ekiti LGA Coordinator of the Christian Association of Nigeria, Pastor Kenneth Adigoke, said the attack bore clear religious undertones.
“They entered the church, killed three and kidnapped 35. If Christians call it targeted genocide, they wouldn’t be wrong,” he said, urging the government to tackle insecurity dispassionately.
The Secretary of the CAC Assembly, Elder Josiah Agbabiaka, told Saturday PUNCH that some families had already been contacted by the abductors, who demanded N100m per person.
“The bandits started calling family members on Thursday, using the victims’ phones to demand ransom. From what we were told, they grouped the victims. The first group of 11 people has been asked to pay N100m each.
“We need government intervention. How can poor families raise such huge amounts?” he queried.
Also confirming the development, the Olori Eta of Eruku, Chief Olusegun Olukotun, whose four family members were among those abducted, said the kidnappers were contacting relatives systematically.
“Some people have received calls demanding N100m per person. They grouped the victims, and they are calling each group’s relatives. I am still waiting to hear about my family members. We were all together in the church, but I managed to escape through a window,” he said.
Meanwhile, the traditional ruler of the town, the Owa of Eruku, Oba Busari Olarewaju, appealed for urgent government intervention to ensure the safe rescue of the victims.
The monarch, who commended the swift deployment of military personnel following the visit of the state Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, said more still needed to be done.
“Last night, soldiers entered our community minutes after the governor’s visit. Their presence gave us some assurance that the government is responding. But we are still appealing for intensified efforts to rescue our people as quickly as possible,” he said.
NUT orders school closure
Meanwhile, the Nigeria Union of Teachers has announced the immediate closure of all schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun and Ekiti LGAs.
The directive, issued by the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, cited fresh security threats reported by the government.
During his visit, the governor said he had contacted the GOC 2 Division and the IG for reinforcement, adding, “We will work towards establishing a Forward Operating Base and a Mobile Police Squadron here.”
Fear lingers
As dusk fell on Thursday, women gathered in small clusters around the church ruins, whispering prayers, clutching photographs, and anxiously seeking updates.
The town square reeked of petrol from burning tyres, while the shadow of the surrounding forests loomed like an approaching storm, a stark reminder that the community still lives in fear.
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