Terrorists kill pastor’s wife, four others after collecting ₦20m ransom for ECWA worshippers

Terrorists have killed five out of the eight Christian worshippers abducted during a Sunday service at the ECWA Church in Omugo, Kwara State—including the resident pastor’s wife—after the community paid an initial ₦20 million ransom and the captors demanded an additional ₦300 million.

A devastating tragedy has hit the Omugo community in the Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State following confirmation that terrorists have executed five out of the eight Christian worshippers kidnapped from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) over two months ago. The victims, who included the resident pastor’s wife and prominent church elders, were initially dragged into captivity by heavily armed gunmen during a coordinated raid on the church premises in the morning of March 22, 2026, while Sunday service was actively underway. The heartbreaking development was made public on Wednesday evening, June 3, 2026, after one of the younger hostages successfully escaped from the terrorist camp and navigated his way back home to deliver the grim news to the traumatized community.

The killings occurred despite desperate financial sacrifices by the local community, which had already raised and delivered a staggering ₦20 million cash ransom alongside auxiliary supplies worth over ₦300,000 to the criminal syndicate. Rather than honoring the release agreement, the abductors held onto the victims and aggressively raised their demands, insisting on an additional ₦300 million before letting the remaining survivors go. In an interview with Vanguard last month, the resident clergyman, Reverend Sunday Omole, had passionately implored the federal government to launch an immediate tactical intervention, warning that the continuous exploitation of the rural community proved the armed gang was negotiating in bad faith.

The official confirmation of the executions was contained in a deeply moving public statement issued by Reverend Omole on Wednesday evening, following his debriefing of the returned hostage, Mr. Sunday Bakare. In the missive, the grief-stricken cleric identified the five deceased congregants as Elder Chief David Omopariola, Chief Joseph Ibitoye Afariogun, Mrs. Iyabo Aniyi, Elder Joshua Akanbi Adeyemi, and his own wife, Mrs. Rachel Oluwaremilekun Omole. Mourning the heavy loss while attempting to console his fractured congregation, Reverend Omole wrote: “It is with deep pain in my heart that I inform the church, families and individual concerned in regard to the 8 people that were abducted from ECWA OMUGO on 22nd of March, 2026. We received one of our son’s, Mr Sunday Bakare also abducted over a month ago, he escaped and brought the following news that only 3 out of 8 of our people are remaining with the kidnappers. The remaining 5 have gone to be with the Lord… Brethren, let’s know that God knows why He allows this to happen. The great comforter will comfort us in Jesus name, amen.”

READ THE FULL STORY IN VANGUARD