iDeemlawfulBamidele Emanuel, a member of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) from Eruku, Kwara State, who was recently freed from captivity, has narrated the harrowing experience he and others endured while held by terrorists in a remote forest.
Speaking about the ordeal, the survivor said the abductors made it clear from the onset that escape was impossible due to their strong control of the area.
“It was unimaginable because when we got there, we really knew that it was a dominated area,” he said.
“Even they had to tell themselves that we are bandits and made us know that there is no one who can just slip away. And with what we saw, nobody could escape. They know all the routes surrounding all those bushes within Kwara and other cities.”
The freed victim described the forest as heavily monitored, with the terrorists boasting about their grip on the terrain and their ability to detect any movement across the surrounding bushes. He said the captives were constantly guarded, leaving them in fear and uncertainty throughout their stay in the camp.
A total of 38 victims were abducted from the Eruku CAC on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, and were released on Sunday, November 23, 2025.
Eyewitnesses in the community said that the attackers stormed the area “suddenly and heavily armed,” forcing many residents to flee into nearby bushes for safety.
“They came around nightfall and started shooting. Two people were killed instantly, and we don’t even know how many were taken,” one resident said.
The bandits had demanded N3 billion for the release of the victims, but later reduced the ransom to N760 million.
Irked by the attack, youths in the community staged a protest.
The protesters, who blocked the Ilorin–Kabba highway at the entrance of the town, causing heavy traffic disruption, alleged that last Tuesday’s attack, which lasted close to an hour, occurred without any response from security operatives stationed in the community.
In response to the attack and others, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu postponed his scheduled trips to Johannesburg in South Africa and Luanda, Angola, as he awaited further security briefings on the kidnapped Kebbi schoolgirls and the attack on the church worshippers.
He also directed the police to go after the bandits who attacked worshippers.
Speaking on Sunday after the release of the 38 abducted worshippers, Kwara State governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, says this is wholly due to the hands-on approach of President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, who has personally led the efforts to free the abductees.
The Governor also expresses appreciation to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, and, of course, the Nigeria Police, which has graciously deployed four new tactical teams to Kwara State on the President’s directive.
The Governor also thanks members of the security forces across board, thought leaders, religious institutions, and all Kwarans for their support and goodwill since the unfortunate incident.
