Residents Feared Missing As Bandits Storm Ekiti Community, Kill Pastor During Church Service

Gunmen suspected to be bandits have invaded a church in Eda Oniyo, the headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government Area in Ekiti State, killing a pastor while an unconfirmed number of residents were feared abducted.

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It was gathered that ‎ the incident occurred during a revival session on Tuesday evening at a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), where worshippers had gathered for the special programme.

According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen stormed the church at about 6:45 p.m and opened fire on the congregation, killing the revivalist, who was simply identified as one Pastor Aregbe, while several others were injured.

When contacted, the Chairman of the Ilejemeje Local Government, Pius Alaba, said several people were still missing, adding that the exact number of those abducted could not yet be ascertained.

According to him, information from the pastor in charge of the church indicated that while some worshippers escaped into the surrounding bush, others were shot during the attack.

Alaba also confirmed that the corpse of the slain pastor had been deposited at the morgue.

‎ As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to release an official statement on the attack.

Gunmen had in November 2025 attacked the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Kwara State, during an invasion of the community, leaving at least two people dead and at least 30 worshippers kidnapped.

The incident also occurred on a Tuesday evening.

Consequently, the Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, condemned the attack and called for urgent reinforcement of security in the area.

The bandits also demanded ₦100 million as ransom for each of the abductees, before the release of the worshippers was announced by the state government.