TENSION has resurfaced in Eruku, a community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, after gunmen suspected to be terrorists abducted another resident on Sunday.
News Point Nigeria reports that this comes just a week after 38 worshippers were freed following a kidnapping incident in the same town.
It was learnt that the attackers stormed a farmland along the Eruku–Koro Road around midday.
The assailants, reportedly four in number, were armed with AK-47 rifles and cutlasses.
A community leader, who spoke on condition of anonymity, explained that the attackers struck during routine work hours and whisked away one Annas Aasanru, a native of Eruku.
“They came with cutlasses and AK-47 rifles, invaded the farmland, and kidnapped a man identified as Annas Aasanru before escaping into the bush,” the source said.
Kwara State has witnessed a surge in banditry in recent weeks, with two major kidnapping incidents occurring within just one week.
On November 18, gunmen attacked a Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) branch in Eruku during its midweek service, killing three worshippers, abducting 38 members, including the pastor, and throwing the congregation into panic and chaos.
The bandits initially demanded ₦3 billion for the victims’ release but later reduced the ransom to ₦760 million.
A few days after the Eruku attack, bandits struck the Isapa community in the same local government area, abducting 11 residents.
The gunmen, numbering more than 20, stormed the community with a large herd of cattle, firing indiscriminately. An elderly woman was reportedly hit by a stray bullet during the attack.
A community leader, speaking anonymously, said seven of the abducted individuals belong to the same family. The victims include a pregnant woman, two nursing mothers, and several young children.
Last Monday, the Kwara State Government announced the release of the 38 worshippers who were abducted from the Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku.