Eruku youths in Ekiti local government, Kwara State, on Wednesday took to major streets in the town, protesting the Tuesday late-night attack on the community by armed bandits.
The bandits had stormed a church in the middle of worship, killing five people, injuring many and taking away several worshippers.
According to information, the protesters blocked the Ilorin–Kabba highway, causing traffic disruption.
Our reporter at the scene discovered several articulated vehicles inbound to the neighbouring Kogi State stranded.
Speaking with our reporter, some of the youths alleged that the Tuesday attack lasted about an hour, without any daring challenge.
One of the protesters, Timothy Joshua, said his wife and granddaughter were among the abductees.
Responding to the concerns, the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, visited the town in the company of the Director of the Department of State Services.
He assured residents that additional personnel and an armoured personnel carrier would be deployed to boost security in the area.
The traditional ruler of the town, Oba Busari Arinde Oyediran Olanrewaju, appealed to the youths to remain calm and allow security agencies to carry out their investigations.
The Eruku attack is part of a recent wave of security incidents affecting border communities in Kwara State.
The Guardian reports that the incident occurred at a branch of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, in the Eruku community of Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.
Footage recorded during a livestream captured the moment gunfire erupted around the church. The congregation, led by a young pastor, dispersed in panic as the shots intensified before armed men entered the building. The incident occurred at about 6pm.
No fewer than five armed men ransacked the church and seized personal belongings; three worshippers were reportedly killed, while the pastor and an unconfirmed number of congregants were taken away.
A community leader, Benjamin Ayeoribe, said Eruku had experienced repeated attacks in recent weeks, adding that appeals to authorities had not brought relief. “We have begged the local and state governments for help, but nothing concrete has come. We are living in fear every day,” he said.
The Kwara State Police Command, however, provided a different account, confirming two fatalities but not the number of those abducted. In a statement, the police spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said operatives, supported by vigilantes, responded to “an attempted bandit attack in Eruku”.
She said the attackers fled into the bush during the intervention. According to the statement, 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 taken to ECWA Hospital, Eruku.
Ejire-Adeyemi quoted the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, as commending the “swift response of the police and vigilantes”, adding that security agencies “will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated”.
The incident occurred less than two days after bandits abducted 25 schoolgirls from Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State.
