BREAKING: Residents Flee Omugo Community Kwara After Terrorists Attacked ECWA Church As Military, Police Are Visibly Absent

A visit to the community by SaharaReporters revealed a ghost-town atmosphere, with deserted streets, locked homes and residents hurriedly leaving the area for safer locations.

Fear and uncertainty have gripped residents of Omugo community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State following the abduction of eight church worshippers by bandits, forcing many residents to flee the once-busy settlement.

A visit to the community by SaharaReporters revealed a ghost-town atmosphere, with deserted streets, locked homes and residents hurriedly leaving the area for safer locations.

The attack occurred at the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Omugo, where worshippers had gathered before gunmen stormed the church and abducted eight people, including the wife of the church pastor.

During a tour of the affected area, SaharaReporters observed that from Oko to Oola and down to Omugo community, there was no visible presence of security personnel.

The roads, which residents said were usually busy with commercial activities and movement of people, were largely empty as fear spread among the population.

At the entrance of Omugo community, where the church abduction took place, SaharaReporters observed a police post that had been completed and painted but was completely abandoned.

The building, which was fenced, appeared unused as grasses had overgrown the compound, while no police officers were present at the facility meant to provide security to the community.

Residents who spoke with SaharaReporters said the absence of security presence has left the community vulnerable to repeated attacks by armed groups.

When SaharaReporters arrived at the main town, many residents had already fled the area out of fear of further attacks.

Some residents relocated to Omu-Aran, a nearby town, while others travelled to Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, in search of safety.

Several houses across the community were found locked, indicating that families had abandoned their homes.

Vehicles loaded with household items were also seen leaving the community, as residents attempted to move their belongings away from the troubled area.

Among those affected by the attack is 90-year-old Rachel Ifabiyi, a visually impaired woman who was beaten by the bandits during the incident.

When SaharaReporters met her, the elderly woman was preparing to leave the community, still shaken by the attack and the absence of security protection.

Narrating her ordeal, Ifabiyi said the attackers beat her mercilessly before abandoning her.

“I cannot see well because I am old, but they beat me when they entered the place. They tokk me away, they just left me inside the bush after beating me,” she told SaharaReporters.

The pastor of the ECWA church in Omugo, Omole Sunday Timothy, whose wife was among the abducted worshippers, also confirmed the incident to SaharaReporters.

Speaking emotionally, the pastor said the attack was not the first time bandits had targeted the community.

According to him, the latest incident marked the third attack on Omugo by armed bandits.

“This is the third time bandits are attacking this community. Each time they come, they attack people and leave with victims,” Timothy said.

“My wife was among those kidnapped from the church. We are praying and hoping that they will be released safely.”

Residents lamented that repeated attacks and lack of security presence have forced many families to abandon their homes and livelihoods.

They called on the government and security agencies to urgently deploy personnel to the community to prevent further attacks and reassure those who have fled that it is safe to return.

SaharaReporters previously reported that residents of Omogo community were plunged into fear and panic after suspected bandits attacked an Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) service on Sunday, brutally assaulting elderly worshippers, including a 90-year-old blind woman, and abducting eight people, among them the wife of a pastor.

SaharaReporters gathered that the latest attack marks the third time bandits have invaded the community, raising fresh concerns over worsening insecurity in the area.

The kidnapped victims have been identified as Chief David Afolayan, Chief Joseph Ibitoye Afariogun, Mr Joshua Adeyemi Jogo, Mrs Rachel Omopariola, Mrs Mosúnmọ́lá Afolayan, Mrs Bukola Sunday, Mrs Anti (Mama Gbeke), and Mrs Remilekun Omole, the wife of the church pastor.

Recounting the harrowing incident, the pastor of the ECWA church, Timothy said the attack occurred during a worship session when armed men stormed the premises.

“I’m the minister in charge of the church, ECWA. I was leading the program when we were alerted by one of the members who saw them coming towards the church premises,” he said.

“They had already entered the premises and were approaching the church building. Immediately we were alerted, I told all the members that we should run.”

According to him, chaos erupted as worshippers fled in different directions to escape the attackers.

“Everybody scattered. I went through the back door, jumped the fence, and entered the bush with some members. Others hid in rooms and the pastor’s office. We thank God the bandits could not access those places,” he added.

The pastor, however, confirmed that his wife was among those abducted.

“My wife was among the people kidnapped. Initially, they took 11 people, but later released a child and two elderly women. They were not rescued. The bandits abandoned them because they were too weak to move and would slow them down.”

He explained that he ran to a neighbouring community, Oola, to raise alarm.

“I immediately ran to Oola and called Oro-Ago that we needed soldiers, that kidnappers had entered Omogo. Others, including the CAC minister, also called. That was how soldiers came to our rescue,” the cleric said.

When asked whether the kidnappers had made contact, the visibly distressed cleric said no communication had been established.

“We have not heard anything from them. Sincerely, since yesterday, I have not been able to get myself together. My children have been crying. We keep telling them their mother will return by God’s grace,” he said.

“I am seriously disturbed. I have not been able to sleep or do anything. She is not even in good health for this kind of situation.”

He made an emotional appeal to authorities, insisting the community could not handle the crisis.

“Sincerely, I am pleading with the government that this situation is beyond our power. Eight members are in their custody. The church cannot bear the consequences. Even the entire Oro-Ago community cannot handle this. The government must come to our rescue, especially to assist in negotiations because we don’t know what to do.”

An eyewitness, Afariogun Sunday Steven, told SaharaReporters that he first spotted the attackers approaching the church from a burial ground area.

“Glory be to God that I am alive today. Yesterday morning, around 10 minutes to 10am, we were worshipping, singing and praying, when I saw some people coming from the burial ground area wearing masks, green and blue tops,” he said.

“One of them was running and others followed. As they got closer, I shouted, ‘Bandits are coming, run!’ That was how I ran, and others followed me.”

He said the attackers opened fire as worshippers fled.

“As I ran, they started shooting, maybe thinking we would stop, but we didn’t. Many people escaped through the backyard into the bush. Some even reached Oola,” the eyewitness said.

According to him, security response was delayed despite distress calls.

“They called the police at Oro-Ago, but before they arrived, it was around 10:40 am. The distance is just about six kilometres,” he said.

Explaining how the victims were abducted, he noted that the bandits targeted those unable to flee.

“Those kidnapped were mostly women who were not strong enough to run. The bandits didn’t want to leave empty-handed, so they forced them to go along.”

He further revealed that the attackers brutalised some victims before taking them away.

“They beat them with sticks used for herding cattle, one or two strokes, especially at the entrance.”