Suspected bandits have kidnapped 13 worshippers from the First Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Ayetoro Kiri community, Kabba/Bunu LGA of Kogi state, during a Sunday service.
The attack occurred on December 14, with local hunters reportedly engaging the assailants in a gun duel that left four bandits dead.
Kingsley Fanwo, commissioner for information and communications in Kogi, confirmed the incident on Monday, describing Ayetoro Kiri as a rural farming community increasingly vulnerable to spillover violence.
He expressed optimism over their rescue, noting that hunters and security operatives are pursuing the fleeing bandits in the forest.
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“Thirteen (13) persons were kidnapped during the incident but the hunters and other security operatives are currently on the trail of the fleeing bandits within the forest, the ongoing efforts is aimed at rescuing the abducted victims,” Fanwo said.
“We are quite hopeful that the kidnapped persons will be rescued.”
Troops from the 12 Brigade of the Nigerian Army, personnel of the Kogi state police command and the Department of State Services (DSS), have been deployed in the area.
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This is the second church attack in Kogi within weeks, following a similar incident on November 30, at a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West LGA, where a pastor and several worshippers were abducted.
