AT least two people were confirmed dead and unspecified number of residents abducted after terrorists attacked Eruku town in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State on Tuesday, November 18.
The Kwara State Police Command in a statement on Tuesday, November 18, said the attack, which occurred around 6 p.m., left two men fatally shot and several others missing.
According to the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, a superintendent of police, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of Eruku and his team, working alongside local vigilantes, swiftly mobilised after hearing gunshots from the outskirts of the town.
”Upon thorough search of the area, 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 immediately rushed to ECWA Hospital, Eruku, for medical treatment,” she wrote.
Sahara Reporters had earlier reported how the gunmen killed several worshippers instantly before abducting an unknown number of people, including the pastor.
“The gunmen came in suddenly and started shooting. Three people were killed instantly,” a source was quoted to have said.
The attackers reportedly escaped through bush paths linking Eruku to neighbouring communities, leaving residents in fear and uncertainty as security operatives continue combing the area.
A viral video of the attack, captured during a live stream of the Christian gathering and seen by The ICIR, shows worshippers conducting a service when sporadic gunshots erupted around the church premises.
The congregation, led by a young man, scrambled for safety as the shots intensified. Moments later, more than five armed bandits stormed the church, ransacked the sanctuary and whisked away several women and children.
They also carted away belongings of worshippers before vanishing into the bush..
Although the state Police Command said its rapid response forced the assailants to flee into the bush, several videos have shown that many residents and travelers are stranded in the area.
In two viral videos seen by The ICIR (here and here), passengers raised alarm over the attack in the Eruku community, calling on the police, state and federal government to come to their aid.
This incident, The ICIR reports, adds to a troubling rise in violent incidents across Kwara State in recent months. In September, gunmen killed no fewer than 10 people, including a pregnant woman, in Matogu village, Patigi Local Fovernment Area of Kwara State.
In another LG in the same month, the terrorists killed over 15 vigilantes and hunters after invading Oke-Ode community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state.
The armed men abducted an unspecified number of residents during the attack.
These attacks have led to several communities in Ekiti, Asa, Moro, and Kaiama LGAs raising repeated concerns over increasing bandit movement through forest corridors linking Kwara to Kogi, Ekiti, and Niger states.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M