Gunmen on Sunday invaded an Evangelical Church of West Africa in Omugo, Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State, abducting eight worshippers during a church service.
The incident was confirmed in a statement issued in Ilorin on Sunday by the Kwara State Commissioner for Communications, Mrs. Bolanle Olukoju.
According to her, the attackers stormed the church premises and fired shots into the air to disperse worshippers before whisking away the victims.
Olukoju said three of the abducted worshippers later managed to escape from their captors, while five others were still in custody.
She called on security agencies as well as local vigilante groups to intensify efforts to track down and arrest those responsible.
“The government commends the security agencies, forest guards and local vigilantes for their proactive response to the incident and the rescue of three of the eight victims.
”The government condemns the cowardly targeting of religious centres under any guise,” the commissioner stated.
The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, also confirmed the attack, saying security operatives had launched a coordinated rescue operation.
He added that joint teams of police and military personnel had been deployed to pursue the attackers.
Ojo further noted that only two of the victims were under the age of 70, while the remaining three were elderly individuals.
