By Kingston Magare 23.11.2025
Thirty-eight members of the Christ Apostolic Church Oke-Isegun in Eruku, Kwara State, have been freed by the gunmen who kidnapped them last week.
The Church was attacked during a service last Tuesday, three people were killed by the gunmen, while 38 others were taken. The gunmen had demanded N100m ransom for each of the kidnapped victim, but according to reports Sunday, this was reduced to N20m each.
Kwara State governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaye, that the Church members were released on Sunday without elaborating how they were rescued.
“After many days of hard work by security forces and government representatives, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is excited to announce the freedom of 38 persons who were recently abducted in an attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku, Ekiti LGA, Kwara State,” it partly read.
The state government attributed the rescue of the victims to the “hands-on approach” of President Bola Tinubu, who, it said, “personally led the efforts” to free the abductees.
“The governor is immensely grateful to President Bola Tinubu for his direct initiative that made this happen.
“He had also directed heightened security deployments to Kwara, in what underlined his firm commitment to the safety and well-being of our people and Nigerians as a whole,” the statement disclosed.
The governor also commended the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, and the Nigeria Police for their efforts.