A survivor of the attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, has shed new light on the scale of the threat facing communities in the region. The victim, freed on Sunday after days in captivity, described how armed men stormed the church during an evening programme, opening fire without warning and sending worshippers into panic. He recalled confusion spreading through the hall as people noticed blood on the floor while the attackers forced them out and marched them deep into the forest.
According to the survivor, the kidnappers operated from an area they had fully taken over, a territory where they claimed absolute control. He said the gang boasted openly that no one escapes the enclave and that they knew every bush path linking Kwara to neighbouring states. Their familiarity with the terrain, he warned, gives them an advantage that makes rescue efforts even more challenging.
The incident prompted major security action. Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq confirmed the release of thirty eight abductees following several days of coordinated operations. His spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, said the breakthrough came after President Bola Tinubu cancelled a foreign trip and directed additional deployments to secure their freedom. The President also ordered fresh tactical police teams to reinforce the state, while the Army, DSS and intelligence agencies worked together to locate the victims.
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The governor thanked the President for what he called a direct and decisive intervention. Security sources say the coordinated response helped cut off the kidnappers’ escape routes and increased pressure on the gang until the captives were recovered.
The survivor, still shaken by his ordeal, said the bandits remained positioned across the surrounding roads even as rescue efforts tightened around them, a sign of how firmly they held the forest. His account adds to growing concern over expanding criminal strongholds and the threat they pose to rural communities.
