Bandits who abducted worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke-Igan, Eruku, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, have demanded a staggering ₦100 million ransom per victim.
According to the church’s pastor, Lawrence Bamidele, between 30 and 35 worshippers were kidnapped during the Tuesday evening prayer service when heavily armed gunmen invaded the church.
Multiple family sources and community leaders confirmed on Thursday that the abductors had begun reaching out to relatives of the victims, using the phones of those in captivity.
The Secretary of the CAC assembly, Elder Josiah Agbabiaka, also confirmed the development.
“It is true that the bandits have started contacting family members using the victims’ phones to demand ransom,” Agbabiaka said.
“From what we were told, they grouped the victims. The first group of 11 people has been asked to pay ₦100 million each.”
The Olori Eta of Eruku, Chief Olusegun Olukotun, whose four relatives were among those abducted, said the kidnappers were contacting families in batches.
“Some people in the community have received calls demanding ₦100m for each person. They grouped the victims and are calling relatives group by group,” he said.
Olukotun narrated that he was inside the church with five members of his family during the attack, but escaped through a window while the rest were taken away.
The traditional ruler of Eruku, the Owa of Eruku, Oba Busari Olarewaju, appealed for urgent government intervention to secure the safe release of the victims.
He commended the swift deployment of military personnel following the state governor’s visit, but emphasized the need for intensified rescue efforts.
“Their presence gave us some assurance that the government is responding, but more efforts are needed to rescue our people quickly,” he said.
The Kwara State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the command had not received any official report confirming ransom demands.
“We are not aware of any demand for ransom or contact made to the family members of the victims,” she said.
“Our tactical teams, alongside the military and other security agencies, are on ground and making concerted efforts to rescue the abducted victims.”
She urged residents to provide actionable intelligence to aid the rescue operation.
The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) described the attack as “a heartbreaking reminder of growing insecurity facing Christian communities.”
CAN President, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, expressed sadness over the killings and abductions, and demanded a transparent investigation to identify security lapses and bring perpetrators to justice.
“We stand in solidarity with the families, with those injured, with the abducted, and with the entire Eruku community. Their pain is our collective pain,” Okoh said.
He added that the incident fits into a pattern of repeated assaults on Christian communities in vulnerable regions.
The attack marks the latest in a troubling surge of violent incidents across Kwara State, a region previously regarded as one of the safer areas in the North-Central zone.