Pandemonium erupted on Tuesday evening in Eda Oniyo, a town in Ekiti State that shares a border with Kwara State, located in Ilejemeje Local Government Area, as suspected gunmen invaded a church during an open-air crusade, killing a pastor and abducting several worshippers.
Sources within the community said the attackers, who reportedly arrived in large numbers and were heavily armed, stormed the crusade ground situated on the outskirts of the town and opened fire indiscriminately.
Eyewitness accounts indicated that the assailants operated for several minutes, during which they shot the presiding pastor and forcefully took away multiple worshippers, including elderly persons and children, into a nearby forest.
“This evening, some gunmen invaded a church programme around the outskirts of Eda Oniyo. They abducted several worshippers, including elderly people and children. They shot the pastor and whisked others into the forest,” a source disclosed.
The exact number of those abducted could not be immediately confirmed as of press time, but the incident has thrown the entire community into panic.
“Yes, some worshippers were kidnapped in Eda Oniyo today. Security agencies have been mobilised and are already on the trail of the attackers. Efforts are ongoing to ensure the victims are rescued unharmed,” Another source said
As of the time of filing this report, the police authorities were yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
