Bandits demand N100m each for abducted church members

Bandits who abducted about 35 worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke-Igan, Eruku, in Kwara State’s Ekiti Local Government Area, have reportedly demanded N100 million ransom per person.

Multiple sources, including families of the victims and community leaders, confirmed today that the kidnappers contacted relatives using the victims’ phones after Tuesday’s attack.

Josiah Agbabiaka, Secretary of the CAC assembly, said some families had already been reached. “It is true that the bandits have started contacting family members using the victims’ phones to demand ransom. From what we were told, they grouped the victims. The first group of 11 people has been asked to pay N100 million each,” he said.

Chief Olusegun Olukotun, Olori Eta of Eruku, whose four family members were abducted, said the kidnappers were contacting victims’ relatives systematically. “Some people in the community have received calls from the kidnappers demanding N100 million for each person. They said the victims were grouped and they are calling each group’s relatives,” he said.

Olukotun, who was present in the church with five family members during the attack, said he escaped through a window while others were taken away.

The church abduction is the latest in a series of violent incidents that have shaken communities across Kwara State in recent months, raising concerns about the growing reach of banditry in a region previously considered relatively safe.