By Rita Enemuru, Reporting
IN a harrowing account of their six-day captivity, one of the 38 rescued worshippers from the Eruku church abduction has detailed the moments of terror during the attack and the “unimaginable” conditions they endured in a bandit-dominated forest.
The worshipper, who spoke to journalists shortly after their release, described a peaceful Tuesday evening service that descended into chaos and bloodshed.
“It was terrifying,” the survivor began, recalling the event of last week Tuesday. “Because that evening, we started the programme around 5:00pm and 30 minutes into the programme after praises, we just heard gunshot. At first, I didn’t know it was gunshot.
“I thought it was just sparkling of some wires and before we knew it, they have surrounded the whole church. We began to see blood everywhere on the floor.”
The assailants, armed and violent, swiftly rounded up the congregation and marched them into the surrounding wilderness, leaving a community in anguish.
The situation, according to the survivor, only grew more dire once they reached the bandits’ hideout deep within the bush. The captors exhibited a chilling level of control and confidence in their territory.
“The situation inside the bush was unimaginable,” the worshipper stated. “When we got there, we realized that it was a dominated area by these bandits. They even had the courage that they are bandits.
“They made us realize that no one can slip away without being caught and with what we saw, nobody could escape from that place that they’ve dominated.”
The account paints a picture of a highly organized criminal network with intricate knowledge of the local terrain.
“They know all the routes surrounding the bushes in Kwara and other villages,” the survivor added, highlighting the formidable challenge faced by any potential rescue operation.
The 38 worshippers were returned to their community yesterday, Sunday, following what local authorities and security agencies have described as a coordinated search and negotiation effort.
While the exact circumstances of their release remain unclear, their return has been met with widespread relief and celebration in Eruku.
Local police and state government officials have yet to release a detailed statement on the rescue operation but have confirmed that all 38 individuals are now safe and are receiving necessary support and medical attention.
This brazen attack on a place of worship has sent shockwaves through Kwara State, raising urgent questions about security in rural areas and the expanding reach of criminal bands operating in the region.
Community leaders are now calling for increased security presence and a more robust strategy to protect vulnerable villages from such violent incursions.
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