Tension has flared again in Eruku, a community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, after gunmen suspected to be terrorists abducted another resident on Sunday.
The latest incident comes barely a week after 38 worshippers were freed following a mass kidnapping in the same town. Witnesses said four armed men stormed a farmland along the Eruku–Koro Road around midday, wielding AK-47 rifles and cutlasses. They seized a local farmer, identified as Annas Aasanru, before escaping into the bush.
Kwara State has faced a surge in banditry in recent weeks, with multiple attacks rattling communities. On November 18, gunmen invaded a Christ Apostolic Church branch in Eruku during a midweek service, killing three worshippers and abducting 38 others, including the pastor. The assailants initially demanded ₦3 billion in ransom before reducing it to ₦760 million.
Days later, bandits struck Isapa community in the same local government area, abducting 11 residents. Witnesses said more than 20 gunmen stormed the town with a herd of cattle, firing indiscriminately. An elderly woman was injured by a stray bullet, while seven of the abducted victims were reported to be from one family, including a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several children.
The Kwara State Government confirmed on Monday that the 38 worshippers taken from the Christ Apostolic Church had been released, but the fresh abduction in Eruku has reignited fears of worsening insecurity in the region.
