Kwara State was thrown into a mix of relief and sober reflection on Sunday night as Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq received the 38 worshippers of Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, Eruku, who were rescued after spending several days in the hands of armed bandits.
The victims, many visibly drained and weak from the ordeal, were immediately taken to the Government House Clinic in Ilorin where medical teams had been placed on standby. Some of the abductees were rushed into the inner wards for closer observation as doctors and nurses worked to stabilise them.
During his visit to the clinic, the governor spent time assessing their condition and speaking briefly with a few of the survivors. One of them, Bamidele Emmanuel, summed up their experience in a trembling voice, describing it as “harrowing.”
“What we went through is not something anyone should experience,” he said as health workers attended to him.
A pastor in the CAC Ilorin District, Oluwafemi Ajayi, expressed gratitude over their return, saying the past few days had been “a very difficult period” for the church.
“We are grateful to God, to the Federal Government, and to the state for the release of our members,” he said.
Governor AbdulRazaq, however, cautioned that the moment called for restraint rather than celebration.
“The release of the 38 victims is not yet for celebration. There are other captives in different states who have not been released. Until every Nigerian held by criminals is freed, we cannot celebrate,” he said.
He also praised President Bola Tinubu, stressing that the President’s “decisive intervention” and “unwavering commitment” were critical to securing the worshippers’ freedom.
The victims were part of a church programme last Tuesday at CAC Oke Isegun in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area, when armed bandits stormed the premises. Three worshippers were killed during the attack while 38 others were taken away, sparking nationwide outrage and renewed fears over bandit activities around Kwara’s borders with Kogi and Niger. Security reports have long cited those corridors as vulnerable routes exploited by criminal groups.
Earlier on Sunday, the governor’s spokesman, Rafiu Ajakaye, explained that the rescue followed days of coordinated operations involving federal security agencies and local forces. According to him, the breakthrough was aided by the President’s “hands-on” engagement, which included cancelling his scheduled trip to the G20 Meeting in South Africa to monitor security responses in Kwara and Kebbi states.
Ajakaye also noted that the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Intelligence Agency and the police supported by four newly deployed tactical teams played critical roles in the rescue effort.
The Secretary of CAC Oke Isegun, Michael Agbabiaka, confirmed to journalist that DSS officers contacted the church around 4 pm on Sunday to notify them that the captives had regained their freedom.
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