Two killed, one injured as bandits launch deadly attack on Kwara church
Story by Mercy Adaje
The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that two people were killed and another injured after suspected bandits launched coordinated attacks on parts of Eruku, a border community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of the state.
One of the attacks targeted a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church, where gunmen stormed a special service and opened fire on worshippers. According to police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, a worshipper identified as Mr. Aderemi was shot dead inside the church, while the corpse of another victim, Mr. Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was later discovered in a nearby bush.
A vigilante, Segun Alaja, also sustained gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment at ECWA Hospital in Eruku.
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Ejire-Adeyemi said the Divisional Police Officer in Eruku, alongside operatives and local vigilantes, responded swiftly to gunshots heard on the outskirts of the town, forcing the attackers to retreat into the forest.
Kwara State Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, commended the joint response and assured residents that security forces remain committed to dismantling criminal networks troubling the region.
Earlier reports indicated that the assailants abducted the church pastor and several worshippers during the assault. Eyewitnesses said three people were killed instantly before the gunmen marched some congregants into the bush.
The attackers also ambushed travellers along the Ilorin–Kabba Road, causing motorists to flee into surrounding bushes. A traveller returning from Niger State recounted hearing continuous gunfire as people ran for safety.
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Community leaders say Eruku has endured multiple attacks in the past three weeks. Benjamin Ayeoribe, a resident, appealed for urgent government intervention, saying, “We are living in fear every day. These attacks are becoming too much for us to bear.”
Kwara State has recorded a surge in banditry, killings, and kidnappings in recent months, with border communities suffering some of the worst violence.
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