The Kwara State Police Command has stated that three worshippers were killed and 15 others were abducted during a violent attack by gunmen at a prayer ground in the Ekiti Local Government Area of the state.
Chronicle NG gathered that the attack occurred on Saturday night at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, located on the outskirts of Ikiran Village in the Ikerin/Ajuba axis of the local government area, throwing surrounding communities into panic.
According to local sources, terrorists assaulted the village in huge numbers, attacking worshippers and inhabitants before fleeing via neighboring forest trails.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retaliation said that several residents spent the night looking for missing relatives and loved ones after the perpetrators fled the region.
He said, “People were running in different directions because of the gunshots. Some families could not even find their relatives until this morning.”
Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, confirmed the event in a statement made on Sunday in Ilorin, and Adekimi Ojo, commissioner of police, branded the attack as horrible and condemnable.
The statement read, “The Kwara State Police Command strongly condemns the gruesome attack, killing, and abduction of innocent worshippers by armed criminals at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, located on the outskirts of Ikiran Village in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.”
The Commissioner of Police stated that the incident was reported to authorities by Pastor Adebayo Abiodun of Ijo Ajaye Ati Igbala, Ekerin Village, who was conducting a night vigil with members of his congregation when the gunmen struck.
He said, “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.”
He reported that the incident resulted in the deaths of three people, while the attackers abducted 15 others and transported them to an undisclosed location.
The police chief quickly dispatched operatives from the Ekiti Division to the area after receiving the distress call.
“Upon receipt of the distress report, the Divisional Police Officer, Ekiti Division, immediately mobilized operatives to the scene,” he said.
Adekimi also revealed that he has ordered a coordinated tactical and intelligence-driven rescue operation to secure the release of the abducted victims and apprehend those behind the attack.
“A comprehensive tactical and intelligence-driven operation involving the Police Drone Team, PMF personnel, intelligence units, and other operational assets has been deployed for a coordinated rescue mission,” he noted.
The police commissioner called the attack cruel and reassured locals that the command was still committed to restoring security in the impacted areas.
“The command is fully committed to ensuring the rescue of all victims and the apprehension of the perpetrators behind the heinous act,” he promised.
The police chief also assured residents of the Ekiti Local Government Area and the larger Kwara community that security personnel had increased bush combing and information gathering around the region.
He said, “Vigorous efforts are ongoing, including bush combing, intelligence gathering, and coordinated security operations to track down the assailants and bring them to justice,” the statement added.
The command requested the public to remain calm and provide credible information to aid ongoing rescue and security operations.
The new incident comes amid a string of attacks on worship centers in Kwara South. In November 2025, armed bandits raided the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Ekiti LGA, killing three worshippers and kidnapping 38 others before being recovered following a security operation.
Another ECWA church in Omugo, Ifelodun LGA, was assaulted in March 2026, with eleven worshippers seized before a coordinated security reaction resulted in the rescue of three victims, while the remaining eight are still held captive as of press time.
