Armed attackers have struck a prayer ground in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, killing three worshippers and abducting 15 others during a night vigil in an assault that has plunged the affected community and surrounding villages into fear.
The attack occurred late Saturday at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, situated on the outskirts of Ikiran Village in the Ikerin/Ajuba axis of the state, when gunmen stormed the vigil ground in large numbers, fired indiscriminately, and herded several worshippers into nearby forest routes before disappearing into the night.
The Kwara State Police Command confirmed the incident in a statement issued on Sunday in Ilorin, with spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi describing the attack as gruesome and condemnable.
According to the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, the alarm was raised by Pastor Adebayo Abiodun of Ijo Ajaye Ati Igbala, Ekerin Village, who was leading the congregation in the night vigil when the armed men invaded.
“While conducting a night vigil alongside members of his congregation at Ori-Oke Ijaye via Ekerin village, armed hoodlums invaded the prayer ground, firing sporadically,” the commissioner stated.
A community source, speaking anonymously for security reasons, described scenes of chaos as worshippers fled in every direction amid the gunfire, with some families spending the entire night searching desperately for missing relatives.
“People were running in different directions because of the gunshots. Some families could not even find their relatives until this morning,” the source said.
Operatives from the Ekiti Division were deployed to the scene immediately after the distress call was received. A large-scale rescue operation is now underway, involving the Police Drone Team, Police Mobile Force personnel, intelligence units, and other tactical teams working to locate the abducted victims and track down the perpetrators.
The commissioner assured residents that security operatives had intensified bush-combing operations and intelligence gathering across the affected area.
The latest bloodshed adds to mounting security concerns in Kwara South, where repeated attacks on worship centres and rural communities in recent months have left residents increasingly anxious and exposed.
