Abuja – Gunmen who abducted dozens of worshippers from a church in central Nigeria have reportedly demanded a ransom of 100 million naira (approx. $60,000; £47,000) for each victim.
The mass abduction took place on Tuesday evening at the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, a town in Kwara State.
According to the church’s pastor, Lawrence Bamidele, between 30 and 35 congregants were seized during a prayer service. While Kwara State has historically been considered one of the safer regions in Nigeria’s North-Central zone, the incident highlights the growing reach of kidnapping gangs, locally known as “bandits,” who have terrorised the country’s north-west for years.
‘They are calling relatives’
Families of the victims told local media that the kidnappers have begun making contact using the mobile phones of the abductees.
Elder Josiah Agbabiaka, a church official, told The Punch newspaper that the attackers had categorised the victims into groups.
“The first group of 11 people has been asked to pay N100m each,” he said.
This was corroborated by a local community leader, Chief Olusegun Olukotun, who has four family members among the hostages. Chief Olukotun, who was inside the church during the assault, described a chaotic scene where he managed to escape through a window while others were rounded up.
Police in Kwara State said on Thursday that they had not yet received an official report regarding the ransom demands. Police spokesperson Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi stated that tactical teams and the military are “making concerted efforts to rescue the abducted victims.”
Political fallout and local anger
The incident has sparked a fierce political row in the area, with residents accusing local government officials of negligence.
On Thursday, youths and vigilante members confronted Awelewa Olawale Gabriel, the chairman of the Ekiti Local Government Area, accusing him of failing to support local security networks. Residents claimed that vigilante groups, who often supplement the police in rural Nigeria, were left without ammunition or fuel for their patrol vehicles.
Local officials have denied the accusations, describing them as politically motivated. They insisted that resources, including vehicles and ammunition, had recently been provided to security teams.
‘Heartbreaking reminder’
The attack has drawn condemnation from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN).
In a statement, CAN President Archbishop Daniel Okoh described the abduction as a “heartbreaking reminder of the growing insecurity facing Christian communities across the country.”
He urged security agencies to act swiftly and warned that such incidents were part of a “pattern of repeated assaults on Christian populations in vulnerable regions.”
Kidnapping for ransom has become a major crisis in Nigeria. While initially associated with the Islamist insurgency in the north-east, it has evolved into a sophisticated criminal industry across the country, targeting schools, highways, and places of worship.
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