Suspected gunmen have abducted 13 worshippers from the First Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Ayetoro Kiri, a community in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State.
Gatekeepers News reports that the abduction took place on Sunday, December 14, when the attackers reportedly stormed the church during a service. Local hunters were said to have confronted the assailants, leading to a gunfight in which four of the suspected bandits were killed.
Confirming the incident on Monday, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, described Ayetoro Kiri as a largely agrarian community that has become exposed to security threats spreading from neighbouring areas.
Fanwo said security agencies and local hunters are actively pursuing the kidnappers in nearby forests, expressing confidence that the victims would be rescued.
The commissioner said, “Thirteen persons were kidnapped during the incident, but hunters and other security operatives are currently on the trail of the fleeing bandits within the forest. The ongoing efforts are aimed at rescuing the abducted victims.”
“We are quite hopeful that the kidnapped persons will be rescued.”
He added that troops of the Nigerian Army’s 12 Brigade, alongside operatives of the Kogi State Police Command and the Department of State Services, have been deployed to reinforce security and support rescue operations in the area.
