Operatives of the Force Intelligence Department–Intelligence Response Team (FID-IRT) have arrested 33 suspected members of a criminal syndicate linked to terrorism, kidnapping, and armed robbery, following investigations into a deadly church attack in Kwara State.
The suspects were apprehended during coordinated operations across Kwara and neighbouring Kogi State, according to the Force Public Relations Officer, DCP Anthony Placid, who spoke at a press briefing in Abuja on Monday.
The arrests are connected to the November 2025 attack on a Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, where gunmen killed at least three worshippers and abducted dozens during an evening service.
Placid said the police acted on credible intelligence to track down members of the network across multiple locations.
“Following the attack on the church in Eruku town, operatives of the IRT carried out coordinated operations based on reliable human and technical intelligence across Kwara and Kogi States,” he said.
He disclosed that preliminary findings linked the suspects to a range of serious crimes, including criminal conspiracy, kidnapping, armed robbery, cattle rustling, unlawful possession of firearms, and acts of terrorism.
“A prima facie case has been established against the suspects for offences bordering on terrorism and other violent crimes,” Placid added.
During the operations, security agents recovered an anti-aircraft launcher, seven AK-47 rifles, magazines, 32 rounds of 7.62mm live ammunition, communication devices, and other tactical items.
According to the police spokesperson, some of the weapons were abandoned by fleeing suspects during raids in communities such as Gbugbu, Ora-Ago, Kaiama, Patigi, and Okeode.
“The suspects were arrested at different locations, and in the course of the operations, they abandoned an anti-aircraft rifle and other weapons, which were subsequently recovered,” he said.
The 33 suspects form part of a larger group of 50 individuals recently paraded by the police as part of ongoing efforts to dismantle criminal networks across the country.
Placid noted that investigations are ongoing to apprehend other fleeing members of the syndicate and recover additional weapons.
“Efforts are being intensified to track down other members of the gang still at large and to recover more operational weapons,” he said.
The attack, which was widely circulated on social media after being streamed live, had sparked national outrage before security agencies secured the release of the abducted victims in a joint operation.
