15.12.2025
Four persons were killed and 20 people abducted when bandits invaded First ECWA Church in Ayetoro-Kiri, Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
The bandits numbering about 50 stormed the community on Sunday shooting sporadically.
Five of the gunmen were killed, according to Kogi state’s information commissioner Kingley Fanwo, but he said others managed to escape despite being wounded.
Only two weeks ago, gunmen raided a church in the nearby town of Ejiba, kidnapping a pastor, his wife and several church members.
They are still being held, despite efforts by security agencies to secure their release, local residents say.
“The security onslaught in neighbouring Niger and Kwara states is pushing the bandits more towards Kogi state,” Fanwo told the BBC.
The chairman of the council area, Zaccheus Dare Micheal, in his reaction blamed the church for opening service in a tense area. He further shut down all markets in the area.