Suspected gunmen invaded a church crusade in Eda Oniyo Ekiti, killed a pastor and abducted several worshippers, triggering panic in the community as security operatives launched a rescue effort.
Pandemonium broke out in Eda Oniyo Ekiti in Ekiti State on Tuesday evening after suspected gunmen invaded a church during an open-air crusade, killing a pastor and abducting several worshippers. Sources in the community said the heavily armed attackers stormed the crusade ground on the outskirts of the town in large numbers, opened fire and operated for several minutes before taking their victims into a nearby forest.
“This evening, some gunmen invaded a church around the outskirts of Eda Oniyo during a church programme. They abducted several worshippers, including elderly persons and children. They shot the pastor and took the worshippers into the forest. The attackers came in large numbers and were heavily armed,” sources in the community said. Although the exact number of abducted worshippers could not be immediately confirmed, the incident was said to have thrown the community into panic.
A top government official and member of the state’s security committee, who spoke anonymously, confirmed the attack, saying security operatives had been deployed and were on the trail of the attackers. “Yes, some worshippers were kidnapped in Eda Oniyo today, but security agencies are involved. The government has deployed security operatives to the area and they are already on the trail of the attackers,” the source said. Efforts to get the police to react to the incident were unsuccessful as calls and messages sent to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, were unanswered.
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