By Ayomide Otitoju
Gunmen suspected to be bandits have abducted dozens of worshippers during an attack on a church in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The attackers, reportedly numbering more than 50, were said to have stormed the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Aiyetoro Kiri on Sunday, shooting sporadically and causing panic among worshippers. One person was reportedly killed during the attack, while more than 20 worshippers, including children, were abducted.
The incident marks the second major attack on Aiyetoro Kiri in recent times. Bandits had earlier invaded the community, abducting about 50 residents and looting a business centre, including mobile phones. The repeated attacks have heightened fear in the area, forcing many residents to flee their homes.
In a related development, residents of Oke-Agi and Ilai communities in Mopamuro Local Government Area were thrown into fear following coordinated attacks by armed bandits in the early hours of the same day. The assaults, which reportedly began around 4 a.m., resulted in several deaths, multiple injuries, and the abduction of residents.
Eyewitnesses said the attackers struck two locations almost simultaneously and operated for over an hour, alleging that distress calls made to security agencies during the attacks were met with a delayed response.
One of the attacks occurred at the Jamroro settlement, located between Oke-Agi and Takete Isao and largely inhabited by members of the Tiv ethnic group, where casualties were recorded. The injured were taken to an undisclosed hospital for medical treatment.
Another attack was reported near Ilai Grammar School, less than a kilometre from Ilai town, where one person was killed and three others were kidnapped.
The Chairman of Mopamuro Local Government Area, Hon. Ademola Bello, confirmed the incidents and expressed concern over the delayed intervention by security agencies. Traditional rulers and community leaders also lamented the situation, calling for urgent and decisive action to curb the rising wave of banditry in the area.
As of the time of filing this report, local authorities were attending to injured victims in hospital and coordinating support for affected families. Efforts to obtain an official response from the Kogi State Police Command spokesperson, SP William Ayah, were unsuccessful, as his phone lines remained unreachable.
