Today, things got worse in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State when irate young people blocked the Ilorin–Kabba route to protest a deadly bandit attack on their community.
Armed assailants broke into Christ Apostolic Church in Oke-Isegun during an evening service yesterday, killing three people and taking at least ten worshipers hostage.
Vanguard says that a young girl who was shot is in critical condition.
As at the time of writing, none of the kidnapped victims had been found, but local hunters were still searching the nearby woods.
When our reporter got there about 3:00 p.m., the protest had already caused hours of traffic jams, leaving numerous articulated lorries stuck on their way to Kogi State.
Residents said that the incident, which lasted about an hour, happened without security forces stepping in in time. Timothy Joshua, one of the demonstrators whose wife and grandchildren were kidnapped, was quite upset by what he called a poor response from security officials.
Peter Adesiyan, a youth leader, also spoke out, saying that even though the community had given money to help with local enforcement, the response on the night of the attack was not what residents had hoped for.
The police, DSS, and military become involved.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police Adekimi Ojo went to Eruku on Wednesday with the State Director of the Department of State Services (DSS) because people were getting more and more angry.
Ojo told people that more police officers and an Armoured Personnel Carrier will be sent to the area to make it safer.
Oba Busari Arinde Oyediran Olanrewaju, the traditional leader, asked young people to stay quiet and let the police do their jobs.
In the meantime, military personnel have taken over the village after a viral video showed the terrorists shooting inside the church while attendees ran for safety.
Ayeni Olanipekun, a spokesman for the community, said that the military had been sent to the area and that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq was slated to visit the town.
What Happened During the Attack
Olasunkanmi Ayeni, a spokeswoman for the community, informed our reporter that the attackers broke inside the church on Okeado Street around 6 p.m. while people were worshiping.
Ayeni said that the dead were Tunde Asabe, Segun Alaja (a vigilante), and Aderemi. He also said that the number of people who were kidnapped might be more than first thought.
He also said that bandits had been trying to get into the neighborhood for weeks through several ways, but local hunters and security volunteers had stopped them.
Ayeni praised the work of the local police, saying that cops have routinely gone into the woods with hunters in the past. He did, however, ask for more help from higher-ups to stop more attacks.
He stated that during prior attempts by the attackers to get into the region, the community had placed many distress calls to the right authorities.
Police Confirm the Event
The Kwara State Police Command confirmed the attack in a statement from spokesperson Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi. He said that the DPO and his team acted quickly after hearing gunfire from outside the town, which made the attackers run away.
The statement claimed that subsequently, officers found two victims who had been shot and killed, one inside the church and the other in the jungle. A vigilante who had been hurt was taken to the hospital for treatment.
Commissioner Ojo praised the work of security forces and vigilantes and told the public that security services are still working hard to make the region secure again.
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