At least two worshippers were confirmed dead and 38 abducted on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, after armed bandits attacked the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Oke Isegun, in Eruku town, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State.

The assault, which occurred around 6 p.m., was captured during a live-streamed service that showed congregants in worship before sudden bursts of gunfire sent them scrambling for safety. In the footage, more than five armed men later stormed the church, ransacked the premises and whisked away women, children and the pastor.

WATCH: Chilling Livestream from CAC Church in Eruku Town in Kwara State Captures Final Moments Before Gun-Wielding Terrorists Struck During a Church Service pic.twitter.com/UVdAvyouZX

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) November 18, 2025

The Kwara State Police Command, in a statement issued by its spokesperson, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, confirmed that two male victims — identified as Mr. Aderemi and Mr. Tunde Asaba Ajayi — were found fatally shot. A vigilante operative, Segun Alaja, was also injured and taken to ECWA Hospital, Eruku, for treatment.

Ejire-Adeyemi said the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) for Eruku, working with local vigilantes, responded immediately after gunshots were heard on the outskirts of the community. She added that the intervention forced the attackers to flee into the bush.

However, residents suggest higher casualties. A witness quoted in one account said three people were killed during the onslaught, while the pastor and several congregants were marched away into the forest. “The gunmen came into the church while people were gathered. They started shooting, and three people died immediately. They later rounded up some worshippers, including the pastor, and marched them into the bush,” they stated.

Community leader Benjamin Ayeoribe said Eruku had experienced recurring attacks over the past three weeks, despite repeated distress calls to authorities.

“We have begged the local and state governments for help, but nothing concrete has come. We are living in fear every day,” he said.

Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, commended the swift response of officers and vigilantes, assuring that security agencies would “not relent until these hoodlums are totally decimated.”

The church attack came less than 48 hours after bandits raided Government Girls Secondary School, Maga, in Kebbi State, abducting 25 schoolgirls, and adding to growing concerns over renewed insecurity, especially in rural communities across the North-Central region. It also comes amid claims of Christian persecution in Nigeria and US President Donald Trump’s threat to invade Nigeria and eliminate Islamist terrorists responsible for the violent attacks if the Nigerian government continues to fail to guarantee the safety of lives and property.