The terrorists who kidnapped about 35 worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Igan, Eruku, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, have reportedly demanded N100 million ransom per victim.
On Thursday, many family sources and community leaders reported that the terrorists had made contact with the victims’ relatives using the phones of those abducted during the Tuesday evening raid.
Josiah Agbabiaka, Secretary of the CAC Assembly, told the press that the terrorists had already reached out to certain families.
“It is true that the bandits have started contacting family members using the victims’ phones to demand ransom.
“From what we were told, they grouped the victims. The first group of 11 people has been asked to pay N100 million each,” Agbabiaka said.
The Olori Eta of Eruku, Chief Olusegun Olukotun, whose four family members were seized, also confirmed the event, saying the kidnappers were reaching out systematically.
“Some people in the community have received calls from the kidnappers demanding N100 million for each person. They said the victims were grouped, and they are calling each group’s relatives,” he said.
Olukotun, who claimed to have been inside the church with five members of his family during the attack, said he escaped through a window while the others were carried away.
Meanwhile, the town’s traditional ruler, Owa of Eruku, Oba Busari Olarewaju, has called for immediate government action to secure the victims’ safety.
The king, who praised the rapid deployment of military forces to the community following the visit of state governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq on Wednesday, emphasized that more needed to be done.
“Last night, soldiers entered our community minutes after the governor visited. Their presence gave us some assurance that the government is responding.
“But we are still appealing that efforts should be intensified to rescue our people as quickly as possible,” the monarch said.
The State Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said that the command had not received any official report of ransom demand.
“We are not aware of any demand for ransom or contact made to the family members of the victims.
“Our tactical teams, alongside the military and other security agencies, are on the ground and making concerted efforts to rescue the abducted victims,” she said when contacted on Thursday.
Ejire-Adeyemi also stated that the state Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, had urged community members and relatives of the abducted persons to provide timely information that could aid the operation.
“The CP assures residents that the police will continue to do everything possible to secure lives and property in Kwara State,” she added.
The attack on the Eruku church is the latest in a string of violent episodes that have shaken communities throughout Kwara State in recent months.
The latest attacks have raised concerns about the rising reach of banditry in Kwara, a state that has traditionally been regarded as one of the safest in the North-Central area.
