A violent attack by suspected bandits on a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku town, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, has left at least three worshippers dead and several others abducted, including the pastor.
The incident occurred on the evening of Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
According to multiple reports, approximately 10 suspected terrorists stormed the CAC Oke Isegun church around 6:30 p.m., just as congregants were gathered for an evening service.
Sources told journalists the assailants “came from the bush and invaded the church by shooting sporadically to scare the worshippers, but three worshippers were later hit by the bullets and died instantly. They later rounded up some worshippers, including the pastor, and marched them into the bush.”
Video footage of the attack, taken from a live stream, which has gone viral on social media, shows the congregation in session when gunshots ring out.
As gunfire intensifies, several masked men enter the church hall and seize the personal belongings of worshippers, who have left the pews and gone into hiding.
The Kwara State Police Command said in a statement that the attack happened at about 18:00 hours on 18 November.
According to the police statement, “one male victim, Mr Aderemi, was discovered fatally shot inside the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun; while one Mr Tunde Asaba Ajayi … was found in the bush,” and a vigilante, Segun Alaja, sustained gunshot injuries and was taken to ECWA Hospital, Eruku for treatment.
Vanguard quoted a community spokesperson, Olasukanmi Ayeni, who confirmed “the people were abducted inside the church; there are about ten, but it could be more than that … The three corpses are still inside the church as we speak.”
According to The Nation newspaper, the attackers numbered about 20 heavily armed bandits, and their sustained gunfire caused pandemonium, forcing residents and travellers in the area to abandon vehicles and flee into the bush.
As soon as the gunshots were heard, the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Eruku and a team of officers, in coordination with local vigilantes, reportedly responded to the scene.
The joint force pursued the attackers into the surrounding forest, causing them to flee through bush paths leading out of Eruku.
Commissioner of Police Adekimi Ojo commended the speed of the response by security forces and local vigilantes, pledging that “security agencies will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated.”
The attack has provoked outcry from political and civil society leaders in Kwara State.
Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, former President of the Senate, described the incident as “shocking and deeply distressing,” saying he was worried by the “sad news of the terrorist attack on Eruku town in my home State, Kwara.”
Saraki added that the violence had disrupted “the usually serene and peaceful atmosphere of the town,” and called on the federal government and security agencies to “urgently act to ensure that the kidnapped victims … regain their freedom and return home safely.”
He stressed the need for “a robust, long-term security arrangement … given its strategic national position. … This makes it deserving of a special security arrangement that will not jeopardise our national interest and internal peace.”
The Kwara State chapter of the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR) issued a statement condemning the attack, calling it “a direct affront to the constitutional right to life, dignity, and freedom of worship as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
The CDHR described the assault as “an unacceptable escalation of violence in Kwara State” and warned that it signals a “disturbing pattern” of deteriorating public safety in what was once considered one of the safest states in the North‑Central region.
The group called for “immediate deployment of a permanent military or mobile police base to the Eruku–Obbo–Egbe axis … and a comprehensive investigation … and swift rescue of abducted victims.”
The attack has drawn international attention.
Gunther Fehlinger‑Jahn, Chairman of the Australian Committee for NATO Enlargement, declared “Red Wednesday” — a global awareness campaign against the persecution of Christians — in response to the attack on the CAC in Eruku.
On his X account, he said: “I got this video sent of an Islamist attack on a church in Nigeria. Today is #RedWednesday, the global awareness day against the prosecution of Christians.”
Since the attack, Eruku town has been tense.
A community spokesperson criticised local authorities, saying that distress calls made by residents in the weeks before the incident “were not answered,” Vanguard reports.
According to him, “if they had answered us … this attack wouldn’t have happened.”
Community members have also expressed frustration that elected officials had not yet visited the town following the attack.
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