Eruku community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State was thrown into panic on Tuesday evening, 18 November 2025, after armed bandits launched a deadly attack on a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) assembly, killing at least five worshippers and abducting several others, including the presiding pastor.
The heavily armed attackers reportedly stormed the church premises during a prayer session and began shooting sporadically, sending worshippers fleeing in different directions. A local resident who arrived shortly after the incident described the scene as “terrifying and heartbreaking,” noting that the victims died instantly from gunshot wounds.
According to community sources, the assailants rounded up an undisclosed number of worshippers and forced them into the surrounding forest, believed to be one of the hideouts used by criminal groups operating along the Eruku–Egbe axis.
The latest attack has intensified fears across communities in the border area between Kwara and Kogi States, following a string of recent kidnappings and assaults that have left residents anxious and helpless. Many fear that the growing wave of insecurity may escalate if urgent action is not taken by security agencies.
Local vigilante groups and security operatives were said to have begun combing nearby forest routes in search of the victims, though there has been no official statement from the Kwara State Police Command as of the time of filing this report.
Residents are calling on the state and federal governments to deploy more personnel to the area and take decisive measures to curb the rising tide of banditry threatening lives and livelihoods.
