BANDITS KILL FIVE, ABDUCT WORSHIPPERS AND TRAVELLERS IN FRESH ATTACKS ON KWARA BORDER COMMUNITY
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By Aishat Momoh. O.
At least five persons were confirmed dead and several others abducted after suspected bandits launched two separate attacks in Eruku, a border town between Kwara and Kogi States, on Tuesday.
The first attack occurred during a special service at a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), where gunmen reportedly stormed the premises and opened fire on worshippers.
Three congregants were said to have been killed on the spot, while the pastor and an unspecified number of worshippers were taken away into the bush.
An eyewitness, who requested anonymity, said:
“The gunmen came into the church while people were gathered. They started shooting and three people died immediately. They later rounded up some worshippers, including the pastor, and marched them into the bush.”
The exact number of abducted victims remains unknown. Sources in the community said the attackers fled through bush paths linking neighbouring settlements in Kogi State.
Earlier in the evening, armed men reportedly launched a second attack along the Ilorin–Kabba Road, forcing motorists and commuters to abandon their vehicles and run into surrounding bushes.
A traveller returning from Niger State, who recorded a distress voice note, said:
“We suddenly ran into them. Everybody abandoned their cars and scattered into the bush. They came around 6:30pm and started shooting. Two people were killed instantly, and we don’t even know how many were taken—they are still shooting; you can hear it.”
A community leader, Mr. Benjamin Ayeoribe, disclosed that Eruku had been under “perpetual attacks for the last three weeks,” lamenting that repeated appeals for assistance had gone unanswered.
“We have begged the local and state governments for help, but nothing concrete has come. We are living in fear every day,” he said.
Ayeoribe noted that despite efforts by vigilantes, local hunters, police personnel, and the Eruku Progressive Union, the sustained assaults have overwhelmed the community.
“We need federal help. These attacks are becoming too much for us to bear. We are pleading with the President to intervene urgently,” he appealed.
When contacted, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said she had yet to receive formal details of the incident.
“I am yet to get the details of such an attack, although I have received several calls. I will get back to you as soon as I get something,” she said.
Kwara State has witnessed an increase in banditry, killings, and kidnappings in recent months particularly in border communities.
Only last Friday, a combined team of police officers and vigilantes reportedly neutralized a suspected bandit in a gun duel at Adekanbi village, near Bode-Saadu in Moro Local Government Area of the state
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