Olushola Omogbehin
Following the tragic killing of a pastor and the abduction of many worshippers in Ekiti, the state Police Command said it has launched a manhunt after those suspected to be involved in the robbery.
The robbery took place on Tuesday around 10:30 pm when some armed men stormed Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eda Oniyo, headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State during a vigil and killed a pastor as well as abducting many worshipers.
The Command’s Public Relations Officer, SP Abutu Sunday, on Wednesday, said he has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and an organised comprehensive search operation to arrest the robbers and rescue the victims.
The statement reads: “The Ekiti State Commissioner of Police, CP FALADE ADEGOROYE MICHEAL, has ordered a thorough investigation and a serious manhunt on the suspected hoodlums who fatally attacked a Christ Apostolic Church at Eda Oniyo-Ekiti.
“A preliminary investigation revealed that, on 28th April, 2026, at about 22:30hrs, while the church members were holding their All Night Prayers somewhere around the outskirts of the town, a group of yet to be identified gunmen numbering about five attacked the worshippers, fatally shot the pastor and abducted some of the church members.
“The Police in collaboration with the Nigerian Army, the Amotekun Corps, the Agro Marshal, the Vigilantes and the local hunters have commenced an aggressive bush combing operation and a serious manhunt on the perpetrators in order to ensure the rescue of the victims and the arrest and prosecution of the culprits.
“The Command CP calls for calm as necessary steps are currently being taken to salvage the situation and forestall recurrence, while imploring members of the public, especially religious leaders, to strictly adhere to the State Government’s earlier directive that all gatherings, especially late night gatherings, should not be held without the knowledge of the Police for the purpose of providing adequate security before, during and after the events.
“Members of the public are charged to be security conscious, vigilant and promptly report any suspicious person or group of persons found within their environments to the Police and other security agencies for necessary proactive actions.”
According to eyewitness account, the attackers, who were about seven, stormed the church that fateful night when a vigil was ongoing with scores of worshipers in attendance and committed the heinous crime.
He said the attackers, who operated for several minutes undisturbed, killed the presiding pastor, simply called Pastor Aregbe and took away many number of worshipers into a nearby forest.
Speaking on the abduction, the Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government, Pius Alaba, said they are yet to know the number of those kidnapped.
“According to the church leadership, some worshippers managed to escape, others were either shot or taken away by the attackers but that the corpse of the victim has been deposited in a morgue.”
