The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Isegun at Oke-Ado Street in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara state was unusually filled up last Tuesday at about 6:30 pm, unknown to the congregation that danger was lurking around the corner.

The reason for the huge crowd which consisted of friends, family members and well-wishers, both aged and young, was the thanksgiving service of the 18 kidnapped residents of the community who regained freedom last week when the bandits struck some months ago.

Saturday Vanguard gathered that the church management was so passionate about the thanksgiving service that for members who couldn?t make the thanksgiving service, the Technical Unit of the church arranged for the live coverage of the service to enable them to watch it on Facebook. The live streaming of the thanksgiving service, was however abruptly aborted by the invasion of the bandits which reportedly lasted up to an hour.

The service had started in earnest and the congregation was celebrating the safe return of their abducted members in their midst, when the staccato sounds of gunshots rented the air from outside the church premises.

It was reliably gathered that some people in the church initially thought it was the sound of knockouts and bangers heralding Christmas season until the four bandits carrying AK-47 rifles with live ammunition rudely entered the church, firing gun shots.

Bewilderment and shock gripped the congregation as they were confronted with the dare devil bandits inside the Church of God. Within the twinkle of an eye, the bandits shot three of the worshippers dead and abducted thirty-five others. In an irony of fate, those who were in church celebrating the release of the abducted community members were themselves abducted and taken into the forest.

It was reliably gathered that unknown to the church members, the bandits already had foreknowledge of the thanksgiving service and had climbed on top of the trees around the church premises waiting for the right moment to strike. Midway into the Church service, the bandits were said to have jumped down from the trees and stormed the Church to attack the congregation.

The Resident Pastor of the church, Pastor Lawrence Abiodun Bamidele, in an interview with journalists said, ?we were having a Thanksgiving service for the 18 people who were kidnapped three weeks ago, and were released. We were thanking God for their safe return, not knowing that danger was lurking around. The incident happened unexpectedly and so fast. The bandits came in and surrounded the church, shooting sporadically. Some who ran outside were shot from a tree, where one of the bandits was already hiding. In the pandemonium, three people died on the spot, and 35 church members were kidnapped?.

The Spokesperson of Eruku Community, Olasunkanmi Ayeni in an interview with Saturday Vanguard identified the victims as Tunde Asabe, Segun Alaja, (as he was popularly called) and one Deremi while another girl with deep gunshot injury on her neck was lying critically ill at the hospital.

Olasukanmi explained that the bandits had been making desperate attempts to invade the community but they were resisted by the local hunters and members of the vigilantes in the community.

He said, ?for four weeks, the bandits had been making desperate attempts to storm the community through Eruku/Egbe and Eruku/Omu-Aran roads but they were successfully resisted until Tuesday when they gained access to the town.? Olasukanmi also said that when the bandits were making efforts to penetrate the community, several calls made to the state and local government were unanswered.

Olasukanmi however commended the efforts of the local police which had been assisting the local vigilantes to chase the bandits away from the forests.

According to him, ?The police in the community had been doing a fantastic job by following our local hunters to the forests to track the hideout of the bandits and chase them away, otherwise, it would have been a worst case for us. All efforts we made to the state and local government when the bandits were making efforts to penetrate our community and they were being resisted by our local hunters were not answered. If they had answered us, this attack would not have happened. The bandits reinforced and that was why they were able to penetrate our community?.

Community recounts ordeal, calls for investigation

Curious that the attack on the community came after some members of local vigilantes were reportedly taken to Ilorin to be trained as Forests Guards, which was the same narrative that occurred when Oke-Ode Community was attacked few months ago, the angry Eruku community has therefore called on the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Kayode Egbetokun, to investigate the attacks.

One of the victims, Adesuyi Joshua, whose wife and granddaughter were among those abducted, recounted the horror. ?They took my wife and our granddaughter, who were in the church, alongside about 30 other people. At first, we thought the gunshots were knockouts, but the sound changed.

By the time we mobilised ourselves to confront the attackers, it was too late. We have soldiers around this place. We also have a police station, but nothing was done throughout the attack. When we were pursuing the bandits, the police started shooting from their gate. We thought it was the bandits again. When we got to the station, they tear-gassed us and allowed the attackers to escape,? he alleged.

Another youth leader, Shola Peters, also accused the police of failing the community despite benefitting from local support. ?These are the same police officers the town supported. We built houses for the DPO and the policemen. But when we needed them most, they failed us. Instead of joining us to pursue the bandits, they stopped us. The Inspector General needs to probe the Eruku division. All they do here is to harass young boys and tag them as Yahoo boys or cultists. It was about the time when some of our local vigilantes were taken to Ilorin to be trained as Forests Guards that the bandits attacked us, the same way it occurred in Oke-Ode some months ago, this should be investigated, this is not ordinary.

?We need the Commissioner of Police and the Inspector General to come and probe the police here. We don?t want them again. Let the government give us guns; we can protect ourselves.?

He added that despite having only ?a Dane gun and one pump-action,? the youths confronted the armed attackers. ?Their firepower was too much. They came with AK-49 rifles and machine guns.?

Kwara Government closes schools, to establish military base

Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, on Wednesday, announced plans to seek the establishment of a Forward Operating Base of the Nigerian Army and a Mobile Police Squadron in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area in order to prevent future bandits attacks.

The governor, who visited Eruku for an on-the-spot assessment, disclosed that he had spoken with the General Officer Commanding, 2 Division, and the Inspector General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun, on the urgent security upgrade needed in the crisis-hit area.

?We will speak with the GOC to see that we have a Forward Operating Base in Eruku to enhance security here and also talk to the Inspector General of Police about establishing a mobile squadron here,? Abdulrazaq said. ?It is indeed unfortunate what happened on Tuesday despite all the effort we have been making. Our main purpose here is to commiserate with the people of the community. All the security agencies are on this. The President is aware and we are on top of the situation,? he added.

Meanwhile, the state government, on Wednesday, directed the closure of schools across four Local government areas amid escalating insecurity in the affected communities. The government?s decision was disclosed by the Nigeria Union of Teachers, Kwara State Wing, on Wednesday.

In a circular issued on Wednesday and obtained by Saturday Vanguard, the NUT Chairman, Yusuf Agboola, announced the shutdown of schools in Isin, Irepodun, Ifelodun, and Ekiti LGAs.

Agboola explained that the union was acting strictly on instructions from the Ministry of Education and Human Capital Development after the government raised concerns over fresh security threats in Kwara South.

Protesters block the highway

Earlier on Wednesday day, hundreds of angry youths barricaded the Ilorin?Kabba Expressway to protest what they described as ?total abandonment? by security agencies during the attack.

When Saturday Vanguard visited around 1:30 pm, bonfires, stones, and logs of wood were used to block the highway, leaving dozens of trailers and commercial vehicles stranded. Residents insisted the attack lasted almost an hour without any intervention from security operatives reportedly stationed nearby.

A vigilante, who pleaded anonymity for personal safety, suggested foul play, citing similarities with previous incidents in Kwara. ?It was on Sunday that they took the forest guards and some of our men for training, and two days later the bandits attacked. This is similar to what happened in Oke Ode when rifles were collected from vigilantes before an attack. The government must probe this. It doesn?t look like a coincidence.?

The Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, who visited the community alongside the Kwara State Director of the Department of State Services, assured residents of swift action. ?We will bring the perpetrators to justice. We are deploying more men and resources to secure this area,? he said, adding that an Armoured Personnel Carrier would be stationed permanently in Eruku.

The Owa of Eruku, Oba Busari Arinde Oyediran Olanrewaju, told Governor Abdulrazaq that the community had been living under repeated attacks for months. ?Since the beginning of this year, we have been facing this issue. Our farmers have run away, both indigenes and non-indigenes. The bandits have been disturbing us for a long time, but most of it does not get to the outside world. All the teachers in the community have run away, and two of those who stayed were among those kidnapped yesterday.

?We always contribute money to free people kidnapped on their farms, on the road, or even in their houses. Our road is also bad and contributes to insecurity. If there is an attack, before help can come, the bandits would have escaped because the road is not motorable.?

The Eruku attack adds to a worsening trend of violent incidents across Kwara?s border areas with Kogi and Ekiti states ? zones increasingly infiltrated by bandits fleeing military pressure in neighbouring forests. Security experts have repeatedly warned that Kwara?s porous borders, poor road networks, and sparse security presence make rural communities easy targets.

Residents say that unless decisive action is taken, bandits displaced from Babanla, Baba Sango, and other forest corridors will continue regrouping around Eruku and nearby towns.

Governor Abdulrazaq?s push for an Army base and Mobile Police Squadron signals the government?s first major step towards establishing a permanent military presence in the troubled axis.

Emir of Ilorin expresses sadness over Eruku Church attack, abduction, the Emir of Ilorin and Chairman, Kwara State Traditional Rulers Council, Mai-Martaba Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari, has condemned the Church attack in Eruku.

Alhaji Sulu-Gambari, in a statement issued on Wednesday by his Press Secretary, Dr. Abdulazeez Arowona, expressed concern over the incident stressing that, ?It is most unfortunate, condemnable and worrisome.? He noted that ?it is saddened that the dastardly and unpatriotic act occurred when governments at all levels are making concerted efforts towards getting the nation rid of banditry, terrorism and other felonious acts?.

The Emir however appealed to security agencies to intensify efforts by mobilising forces for the safe return of all the kidnapped victims even as he mourned those who were killed during the attack.

Saraki condemns terrorist attack, demands urgent security intervention

Former Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has also condemned the describing it as a shocking and deeply distressing incident. Saraki, in a statement on Wednesday, said the attack has disrupted ?the usually serene and peaceful atmosphere of the town,? and therefore requires immediate and decisive action from the authorities.

?I sympathise with all the victims and their relatives. I pray for Allah?s healing, restoration and strength at this difficult time, I call on the Federal Government, particularly the heads of our security agencies, to urgently act to ensure that the kidnapped victims of this sad incident regain their freedom and return home safely to their loved ones,? he stated. He further emphasised the need for a robust, long-term security arrangement for the state, given its strategic national position.

The state is one of the gateways into the country and a link between the southern and northern parts. This makes it deserving of a special security arrangement that will not jeopardise our national interest and internal peace,? Saraki added. (Saturday Vanguard)

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