Eruku, a community in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, became a theatre of war as bandits, numbering about 20, attacked a local church in the town on Tuesday, November 18, 2025.
The dare-devil and heavily armed bandits were said to have besieged the Christ Apostolic Church, CAC, in the outskirts of the town around 6pm during the evening service.
The worshippers, five of whom were said to have died from the sporadic gunshots before the bandits eventually entered the church, were carted away by the gunmen into unknown location in the bush.
The sporadic gunshots, which lasted more than an hour, were heard everywhere in the town as residents in other places ran helter skelter for their lives.
The assault also forced travellers and residents to abandon vehicles and homes, fleeing into surrounding bushes to escape the armed invasion.
Though details are sketchy from the attack, several eyewitnesses’ report said the sustained gunfire resulted in a prolonged pandemonium as the people feared the bandits were advancing to other parts of the town.
The town, which hosts the largest yam market in Kwara State, has many settlers and non-indigenes, including Fulanis, Igalas, Beriberis and Nupes, who are feared could be informants to bandits.
Indeed, the bandits were said to have attacked the town twice earlier when vigilantes and hunters rescued about 40 cows in a ranch in the town and 18 passengers in a bus who were attacked while returning from a wedding to the town, one of whom died during the rescue operation.
Also, religious institutions, including the Benedictine Monastery in Eruku, were not spared in previous attacks, where lives were lost.
All appeals to the state and local governments to strengthen security in the area have yielded no result as other neighbouring towns, including Obbo Ile, Obbo Aiyegunle, Osi, and Isapa continue to cry over continued bandits attacks.
Meanwhile, the Committee for the Defence of Human Rights (CDHR), Kwara State Chapter, has strongly condemned the reported attack in Eruku, where worshippers were killed and others abducted during a religious gathering.
The CDHR said “This latest assault is not only barbaric but a direct affront to the constitutional right to life, dignity, and freedom of worship as guaranteed under the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).”
CDHR said the attack “is an unacceptable escalation of violence in Kwara State.”
The Eruku incident is one in a long trail of violent criminal activities that have plagued parts of Kwara in recent months
The Eruku–Egbe, Osi–Obbo, and Obbo–Aiyegunle corridors has witnessed repeated cases of kidnappings, armed robbery, bandit incursions, and attacks on travellers and rural communities.
In the last two years alone, missionary buses, commercial vehicles, and private commuters have been ambushed by gunmen along Eruku–Obbo Ile and Egbe–Koro roads.
Farmers have repeatedly abandoned farmlands due to threats from armed herders and criminal gangs.
Security operatives have launched several rescue operations after mass abductions in the area.
These incidents collectively point to a disturbing pattern that Kwara State, once regarded as one of the safest in the North-Central region, now faces an alarming deterioration of public safety.
Consequently, the Kwara CDHR called on the Federal Government, the Kwara State Government led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and all security agencies to treat this situation as a state of emergency on public safety, particularly in Ekiti Local Government where residents now live in fear and helplessness.
Specifically, the CDHR demands a coordinated security operation involving the Police, Army, DSS, NSCDC, and local vigilante groups to clear the forests and criminal hideouts around Eruku, Egbe, Osi, Obbo, and adjoining borders with Kogi State; immediate deployment of a permanent military or mobile police base to the Eruku–Obbo–Egbe axis to deter further attacks; and a comprehensive investigation into the Eruku CAC attack and swift rescue of abducted victims.
They also want the government to support victims, families, and the affected church community, and strengthening of border security along the Kwara–Kogi corridor to prevent the influx of armed non-state actors as well as regular community engagement with traditional rulers, youth groups, religious leaders, and community associations to build a sustainable security model.
CDHR warned that failure to act decisively will embolden criminal groups, cripple economic activities, and endanger the lives of innocent citizens.
“The government’s primary responsibility is the protection of life and property. Any further delay in responding to this crisis will be a grave dereliction of that constitutional duty.
“We stand in solidarity with the people of Eruku, Ekiti Local Government, and all communities affected by insecurity.
“We assure them that the fight for justice, safety, and accountability will continue with renewed urgency.
“Kwara must not be allowed to slip into a state of unchecked terror,” a statement by
Taofik Adekunle Jimoh
Publicity Secretary,
CDHR, Kwara State Chapter, stated.
