From Kayemo News
Palpable fear has gripped residents of Eda Oniyo Ekiti in Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State following attack by suspected gunmen who invaded a church during an open-air crusade.
Sources said that the gunmen who stormed the church located on the outskirts of the community while the crusade was ongoing, killed a pastor and abducted several worshippers.
Sources in the community said that the attackers, who were heavily armed, operated for several minutes before whisking away an unspecified number of victims into a nearby forest.
A source in the community, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the gunmen invaded the crusade ground in large numbers and opened fire during the attack.
The source said, “This evening, some gunmen invaded a church around the outskirts of Eda Oniyo during a church programme. They abducted several worshippers, including elderly persons and children.
“They shot the pastor and took the worshippers into the forest. The attackers came in large numbers and were heavily armed.”
Although the exact number of victims could not be confirmed as of the time of filing this report, the incident has threw the community into panic.
Reacting to the development, a top government official and member of the state’s security committee who spoke under anonymity because he was not authorised to speak, confirmed the attack.
The source said that security operatives had already been deployed to the area and were on the trail of the attackers, expressing confidence that the victims would be rescued unharmed.
“Yes, some worshippers were kidnapped in Eda Oniyo today, but security agencies are involved. The government has deployed security operatives to the area and they are already on the trail of the attackers,” the source said.
Efforts to get reaction from the police were unsuccessful as call and messages sent to the Command’s Public Relations Officer, Sunday Abutu, had not received a response as of press time.