An unconfirmed number of worshipers were reportedly abducted when bandits attacked a branch of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) at Oke Isegun in the Eruku community, a boundary town with Kogi in the Ekiti LGA of Kwara state.
A video of the attack, captured during a live stream and seen by TheCable, shows the worshipers conducting a service when sporadic gunshots were heard from around the church premises on Tuesday.
The congregation, led by a young pastor, scampered for safety as the gunshots intensified, after which some bandits were seen entering the church.
More than five armed bandits stormed the building and ransacked the place of worship, carting away belongings of the worshippers.
According to the PUNCH, the attackers killed three worshippers and took the pastor and an unknown number of members away.
“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 newspaper quoted a witness as saying.
The report also quoted a community leader, Benjamin Ayeoribe, as saying that Eruku has been under banditry attacks in the last three weeks, noting that distress calls to authorities have yielded no results.
“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 latest comes less than 48 hours after some bandits raided Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, Kebbi state and abducted 25 schoolgirls.
Also chilling and worrisome is the fact that Ekiti and Osun are South West state sharing close proximities to this theatre of unrest.
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Credit: thecableng.com
