By Olatunbosun Obafemi
The wave of violent attacks sweeping through Kwara State intensified on Tuesday as suspected terrorists killed at least two people and injured another during coordinated assaults on Eruku, a border community in Ekiti Local Government Area. One of the targets was a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church, where worshippers had gathered for a special service.
According to the Kwara State Police Command, a worshipper, identified as Mr. Aderemi, was shot dead inside the church, while the body of another victim, Mr. Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was later discovered in a nearby bush. A vigilante operative, Segun Alaja, sustained gunshot wounds and is receiving treatment at ECWA Hospital, Eruku.
Police spokesperson SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi said the attack occurred around 6 p.m., prompting immediate response from the Divisional Police Officer and a joint team of officers and vigilantes. Their arrival forced the attackers to flee into the surrounding forest. State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, praised the rapid intervention and vowed that security agencies “will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated.”
However, eyewitness accounts suggest the scale of the violence was even more devastating. A resident told reporters that three worshippers were killed instantly when the gunmen stormed the church and opened fire, before abducting the pastor and several congregants.
Shortly after the church raid, the attackers reportedly ambushed commuters along the Ilorin–Kabba Road, firing sporadically and forcing travellers to abandon their vehicles and run for safety. “Two people were killed instantly, and we don’t even know how many were taken,” one traveller said in a voice note shared with The Punch.
Community leaders say Eruku has endured relentless attacks for the past three weeks, with appeals to local and state authorities yielding little impact. “We are living in fear every day,” said elder Benjamin Ayeoribe. “We need federal help. These attacks are becoming too much for us to bear.”
The renewed violence underscores the escalating insecurity facing border communities in Kwara State, where bandit incursions, kidnappings, and killings have surged in recent months.
