Thirty-eight worshippers kidnapped during a church service in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, have finally been reunited with their families—days after officials claimed they had been rescued, even as relatives waited anxiously with no sign of their return.
The victims were abducted on 18 November during a special thanksgiving service at CAC Oke Isegun, in an attack that left three people dead and another injured. The incident sparked widespread outrage and renewed scrutiny of the worsening insecurity gripping communities along Kwara’s border.
In a statement issued late Tuesday, the Chief Press Secretary to the Ekiti LGA Chairman, Dada Sunday, confirmed that the abductees were formally handed over to Chairman Awelewa Olawale Gabriel in Ilorin by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq.
According to the statement, the handover brought to a close a coordinated rescue effort involving both federal and state security agencies. The delay in returning the victims to their families, officials suggested, was due to medical treatment and debriefing protocols.
Jubilant scenes greeted the group’s arrival in Eruku at about 6.30pm on Tuesday, as families and neighbours poured into the streets to welcome them home after more than a week of trauma and uncertainty.
Receiving the freed worshippers, Awelewa expressed gratitude to President Bola Tinubu, Governor AbdulRazaq, National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and security operatives for what he described as a “swift and decisive intervention”.
“We appreciate the comprehensive medical care and provisions given to the abductees after their rescue,” he said, pledging that Ekiti LGA would prioritise security across all 10 wards. “We will leave no stone unturned in ensuring the lives and property of our people are protected through a robust security network.”
The Owa of Eruku also praised the rescue operation, noting that the community had been in a state of anguish since the attack. “Their reunion has brought relief,” he said. “Since the day of the incident, we have not had rest of mind.”
But beneath the celebrations lies a sobering reality: the abduction is only the latest in a string of security breaches in Kwara’s border communities. Ekiti LGA in particular has witnessed multiple kidnappings in recent years, a pattern residents fear is becoming entrenched.
For now, Eruku is celebrating a fragile moment of relief—but the episode underscores once again the mounting pressures on authorities struggling to stem the tide of violent crime.
