By KWARA State Police have confirmed that two people were killed during terrorists attack on a church and invasion of Eruku town on Tuesday evening.
The attack, which took place in the Ekiti Local Government Area, has been met with conflicting reports regarding the assailants’ motives.
Some sources suggest the terrorists were targeting a specific church within the town, while others believe they were on a routine kidnapping mission.
Viral videos from the scene showed residents and commuters fleeing for their lives, abandoning their vehicles as the bandits fired gunshots sporadically.
Video also showed worshippers at a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) including children and the aged scampering to safety inside the church as gunshots from the terrorists rented the air.
In an official statement, the police spokesperson for Kwara State, Toun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed the casualties.
The statement revealed that the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Eruku and his team, alongside local vigilantes, swiftly responded to the sound of gunshots from the town’s outskirts, forcing the assailants to retreat into a nearby bush.
A subsequent search of the area discovered the two fatalities. One man, Mr Aderemi, was found fatally shot inside the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun.
A second victim, Mr Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was also found with fatal gunshot wounds in the bush.
A member of the local vigilance group, Segun Alaja, sustained gunshot injuries and was promptly taken to ECWA Hospital in Eruku for treatment.
The Commissioner of Police for Kwara State, CP Adekimi Ojo, praised the rapid response of the police and vigilantes.
He assured the public that security agencies “will not relent until the hoodlums are totally decimated.”
The police have promised to provide further updates as the investigation continues.
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