‘They dominated the entire area’ — Kwara church attack survivor narrates ordeal in captivity
A member of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Eruku in Kwara State, has shared a chilling account of his days in captivity after being abducted during an evening service on November 18.
He was among the 38 worshippers seized during the attack, all of whom were later rescued. President Bola Tinubu announced on Sunday that the victims had been safely recovered.
Speaking with TVC News, the survivor described the moment the attackers stormed the church, firing several shots.
“It was a sudden act, a terrifying act. After about 30 minutes of the programme, we just heard gunshots,” he said.
“At first, I didn’t even know it was gunshots. I thought it was the sparking of some wire.”
According to him, the assailants had completely surrounded the church building, leaving worshippers confused and terrified.
“By the time we got up, they had surrounded the whole church. Some people were even saying they saw drops of blood everywhere.”
The captives were marched deep into a forested region, which he later discovered was under total control of the kidnappers.
“It was unimaginable. When we got there, we didn’t know it was a dominated area,” he said.
He added that the kidnappers openly identified themselves as bandits and boldly declared their control over the territory.
“They made us know that no one could slip away without being caught. From what we saw, nobody could escape.”
The survivor said the gang had full knowledge of every route connecting forests across Kwara and neighbouring states.
“They knew all the routes surrounding those bushes within Kwara and other cities. They knew everything.”
Kwara and several northern states have witnessed an alarming rise in kidnappings in recent weeks, including the attack on CAC Oke Isegun, Eruku.
Despite the incident, the church resumed service last Sunday.