BREAKING: Gunmen Kill 3 Worshippers, Abduct 15 In Kwara

The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the killing of three worshippers and the abduction of 15 others following a deadly attack by armed assailants at a prayer ground in Ekiti Local Government Area of the state.

The PUNCH 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.

Sources in the area had earlier disclosed that terrorists stormed the community in large numbers, attacking worshippers and residents before fleeing through nearby forest routes.

A resident told The PUNCH on condition of anonymity due to fear of reprisal that many villagers spent the night searching for missing relatives and loved ones after the assailants escaped from the area.

He said, “People were running in different directions because of the gunshots. Some families could not even find their relatives until this morning.”

Confirming the incident in a statement issued on Sunday in Ilorin by the spokesperson for the Kwara State Police Command, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, the Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, described the attack as gruesome 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.”

Speaking on the development, the Commissioner of Police explained that the incident was reported to the 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.”