The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed that at least two people were killed and one injured during coordinated bandit attacks in Eruku, a boundary town in the Ekiti Local Government Area.
One of the attacks occurred at a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church, where armed men stormed a special service and opened fire on worshippers. According to the police, a church member, Mr. Aderemi, was shot dead, while another victim, Mr. Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was later found in the bush. A vigilante, Segun Alaja, also sustained gunshot wounds and was taken to ECWA Hospital in Eruku for treatment.
In a statement, the Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the Divisional Police Officer and a team of operatives, working with vigilantes, responded immediately to the sound of gunfire on the outskirts of the town, which caused the bandits to flee.
Eyewitnesses reported that three worshippers were killed instantly and that several others, including the pastor, were abducted and taken into the bush.
Shortly after the church attack, the bandits launched another assault along the Ilorin–Kabba Road. Travellers abandoned their vehicles and ran into nearby bushes as the gunmen fired sporadically. One traveller described the scene in a voice note, saying, “They came around 6:30 p.m. and started shooting… we don’t even know how many were taken.”
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Residents say Eruku has been under repeated attacks for the past three weeks. Community leader Benjamin Ayeoribe expressed frustration over the lack of effective response.
“We are living in fear every day. These attacks are too much for us to bear. We are begging for urgent intervention,” he said.
Kwara State has recently experienced an alarming increase in banditry, killings, and kidnappings, with border communities being the most affected.
