Heavily armed gunmen stormed a church vigil in the Eda-Oniyo community of Ilejemeje Local Government Area in Ekiti State on Tuesday night, killing a visiting pastor and abducting at least 15 worshippers before fleeing into surrounding bush, with the kidnappers subsequently contacting the community to demand a ransom of N1 billion for the release of the victims.
The assailants invaded a Christ Apostolic Church during a night revival programme, opening fire on the congregation and killing the presiding pastor who had travelled to the community specifically for the event, before seizing several worshippers and escaping into the forest.
The Eleda of Eda-Oniyo Ekiti, Oba Joseph Awolola, confirmed the ransom demand and described the atmosphere in the community as one of deep fear and anxiety. “The abductors are demanding N1 billion ransom to secure the release of the worshippers. This has thrown the entire town into fear,” the monarch said.
Local government chairman Pius Alaba confirmed that at least 15 persons had been abducted during the vigil, noting that warnings had previously been issued to community organizations against conducting late-night religious gatherings given the prevailing security situation. He said prior engagement with the Christian Association of Nigeria had resulted in advisories urging the suspension of vigils and late-night programmes due to security concerns.
Traditional rulers in the area used the incident to demand that the Ekiti State Government impose restrictions on late-night religious activities as an urgent security measure. One monarch, Oba Bamidele Adetutu Ajayi, urged security agencies to adopt more discreet operational strategies during bush-combing exercises, warning that intelligence leaks from within communities could be enabling criminal elements to evade detection. He recommended that religious gatherings be prohibited from extending beyond 6:00 p.m.
The Chairman of the Ilejemeje Traditional Council, Oba J.A. Akintola, described the attack as part of a pattern of escalating security threats linked to criminal movements from neighbouring states, calling for tighter surveillance and intensified community vigilance.
Governor Biodun Oyebanji, responding through his Special Adviser on Security, Brigadier General Ebenezer Ogundana, assured residents that security agencies including the army, police, and Amotekun Corps were actively combing surrounding forests to track the kidnappers and secure the release of all victims. He noted that sustained bush-combing operations in border communities had been underway for three weeks to prevent incursions from neighbouring Kogi and Kwara states.
The Commissioner of Police disclosed that officers had conducted patrols in the community on the day of the incident but were unaware that a vigil had been scheduled that night.
The Christian Association of Nigeria issued a forceful condemnation of the attack, with its president, Daniel Okoh, describing the killing of a pastor and abduction of worshippers as a direct affront to human dignity and religious freedom. “This is not merely an attack on a church; it is a grave assault on the sanctity of life and our collective humanity,” the CAN statement said, demanding the immediate and unconditional release of all those abducted.
