Thirty-eight members of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Isegun, Eruku, in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, who were abducted by bandits during a Thanksgiving service, have regained their freedom after five days in captivity.
Their release was announced on Sunday by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq in a statement issued through his Chief Press Secretary, Rafiu Ajakaiye. The state government linked the breakthrough to the coordinated efforts of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the country’s security agencies. However, details of the operation, including how and where the victims were rescued, remained unclear at the time of reporting.
According to the statement: “After many days of hard work by security forces and government representatives, HE AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq (CON) is excited to announce the freedom of 38 persons who were recently abducted in an attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku, Ekiti LGA, Kwara State.”
The Governor further noted that the success was “wholly due to the hands-on approach of President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, who has personally led the efforts to free the abductees.”
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Providing more details, the statement read: “The abductees were freed today, November 23. The Governor is immensely grateful to President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, for his direct initiative that made this happen.”
It added that the President had cancelled his scheduled trip for the G20 Meeting in South Africa “to attend to the breaches in Kwara and Kebbi States,” and had ordered heightened security deployments to Kwara, underscoring “his firm commitment to the safety and well-being of our people and Nigerians as a whole.”
The Governor also extended appreciation to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Intelligence Agency, and the Nigeria Police, “which has graciously deployed four new tactical teams to Kwara State on the directive of the President.”
He concluded by thanking security forces, community leaders, religious institutions, and residents of Kwara for their support and solidarity during the incident.
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