As insecurity deepens in Nigeria, The Pendulum Media has learned of yet another pathetic story of how bandits took hold of Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun, at Okeado Street in Kwara State around 6pm during an evening service on Tuesday.
It was reported that three people were shot dead, while ten others were abducted.
In a conversation with newsmen,
Olasukanmi Ayeni, the spokesperson of Eruku Community, confirmed that it has been a month since bandits have been making desperate attempts to penetrate the community through the Eruku/Egbe and Eruku/Omuaran roads but were successfully rebuffed until Tuesday, when they gained access to the town.
Ayeni said several rescue calls which were made to the state and local government were unanswered.
According to him, the victims are identified as Tunde Asabe, Segun Alaja (as he is popularly called) and one Deremi.
He added that another girl with a deep gunshot injury on her neck is still lying critically ill at the hospital.
He said, “The people were abducted inside the church; there are about ten, but it could be more than that. The three corpses are still inside the church as we speak.
“The police in the community have been doing a fantastic job by following our local hunters to the forests to track the hideout of the bandits and chase them away; otherwise, it would have been a worst-case scenario for us.
“All efforts we made to the state and local government when the bandits were making efforts to penetrate our community, and they were being resisted by our local hunters, were not answered.
“If they had answered us, this attack wouldn’t have happened. As we speak, the local government chairman hasn’t paid any visit to our community; it’s that bad.
“The bandits reinforced; that was why they were able to penetrate our community. I learnt that some of our vigilantes who used to support our local hunters have been taken to Ilorin to be trained as forest guards.”
Ayeni also alleged that several
Save Our Soul, SOS calls made to the Ekiti local government chairman of the community, Wale Awelewa, were rebuffed.
He claimed hadn’t paid a sympathy visit to the community as of Wednesday morning.
Olasukanmi, however, commended the efforts of the local police, which had been assisting the local vigilantes to chase the bandits away from the forests.
Meanwhile, the state command of the police confirmed the development in a press statement by the spokesperson, Ejire Adetoun Adeyemi.
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