Two Killed As Bandits Attack Kwara Church

Kwara State Police Command has confirmed a deadly attack in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, where armed bandits killed two people and injured one during coordinated raids on Tuesday.

The violence, which unfolded inside a church and along the Ilorin–Kabba Road, forced travellers to abandon their vehicles and run into surrounding bush paths for safety.

The police spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said a worshipper died at the scene while another victim’s body was later discovered in the bush.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, she said: “The Kwara State Police Command confirms an attempted bandit attack in Eruku, which occurred at about 18:00 hours today, 18th November, 2025.

“The DPO Eruku and his team of police operatives, in collaboration with vigilantes, swiftly responded to the sound of gunshots emanating from the outskirts of the town, prompting the hoodlums to flee into the bush.

“Police confirmed that a male victim, Mr Aderemi, was fatally shot inside the church, while another, Mr Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was found dead in the bush.

“A vigilante, Segun Alaja, sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to ECWA Hospital, Eruku, for treatment.

“CP Adekimi Ojo commended the swift response of the police and vigilantes. He also assures the public that security agencies will not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated.”

The attack occurred less than 48 hours after 25 schoolgirls were abducted in Kebbi State, adding to growing national unease over the increasing frequency of mass abductions and targeted assaults on rural communities.

These incidents emerge amid heightened conversations about alleged systematic persecution of Christian communities in Nigeria.

Reverend Ezekiel Dachomo, a Plateau-based clergyman and humanitarian advocate, has repeatedly raised alarms about patterns of violence in Plateau, Kaduna, Benue, and other conflict-prone regions.

He insists that the scale, recurrence, and targeting he has observed over decades reflect an entrenched system of persecution.

Dachomo recalled in a recent interview with Piers Morgan how often he has conducted mass burials linked to violent attacks.

“I have performed several genocide burials in Nigeria more than 70 times”, he said.

He described the extent of devastation communities face, recounting an incident in which over 501 people were reportedly killed in a single night in Dogona Awa, a village repeatedly attacked by armed groups.

The cleric, who accused authorities of complicity, said:  “The Nigerian government downplay that one because the Islamic are controlling the government.

“Let me give you the background of what happened. They created Boko Haram with the help of many who are in the hierarchy of government.

“They removed Goodluck Jonathan, who is a Christian; they cause riots in every village, and the people run away and relocate cause their target was to kill Christians.”

He argued that many attacks intensified during political transitions and claimed communities perceived to be aligned with Christian leadership were deliberately targeted.

He continued: “That was their target because Goodluck Jonathan was a Christian. That’s why Goodluck said my blood is not worthy for other people to date.”

However, the Nigerian government challenges these narratives and rejects claims of religiously motivated genocide.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Yusuf Tuggar recently countered figures released by the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law (Intersociety), which alleges that more than 50,000 Christians have been killed since 2009 and 18,000 churches destroyed.

Tuggar dismissed the statistics when responding to Piers Morgan, arguing that the government does not categorise killings by religion and emphasising that all victims are considered Nigerians, not faith groups.

When pressed for official numbers, he claimed that “177 Christians were killed and 102 churches attacked in the last five years in Nigeria,” insisting reports of genocide were inaccurate.