Bandits who abducted about 35 worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku community, Ekiti Local Government Area, Kwara State, have reportedly demanded N100 million ransom for each victim.

The attack occurred on Tuesday evening when gunmen stormed the church, killing some worshippers and abducting others. A video of the incident, reportedly captured during a live stream of the service, showed gunfire erupting around the church premises.

Josiah Agbabiaka, secretary of the CAC assembly, confirmed that some families had already been contacted by the abductors using the phones of the victims. “It is true that the bandits have started contacting family members to demand ransom. The victims have been grouped, and the first group of 11 people has been asked to pay N100 million each,” he said.

Olusegun Olukotun, Olori Eta of Eruku, whose four family members were among the abducted, also confirmed that the kidnappers were systematically reaching out to relatives. Olukotun, who escaped through a church window along with one other family member, appealed for urgent government intervention.

The traditional ruler of Eruku, Oba Busari Olarewaju, praised the rapid deployment of soldiers to the community following the visit of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq on Wednesday but stressed that more needed to be done. “The military presence gave us some assurance, but we are still appealing that efforts should be intensified to rescue our people as quickly as possible,” he said.

Authorities are yet to disclose the total number of casualties or the ongoing rescue efforts.