The Kwara State Police Command has confirmed the killing of two persons and the injuring of another following a bandit attack in Eruku, a border
town in the Ekiti Local Government Area of the state.
One of the targeted locations was a parish of the Christ Apostolic Church, where worshippers were holding a service when armed men reportedly opened fire.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the attack occurred around 6pm on November 18, 2025.
According to the police, operatives from the Eruku Division, working with local vigilantes, responded immediately to gunshots heard on the outskirts of the town, forcing the assailants to flee into the bush.
“Police confirmed that a male victim, Mr Aderemi, was fatally shot inside the church, while another victim, Mr Tunde Asaba Ajayi, was discovered dead in the bush,” the statement added.
A vigilante member, Segun Alaja, sustained gunshot injuries and was rushed to ECWA Hospital, Eruku, for treatment.
The state Commissioner of Police, Adekimi Ojo, commended the prompt response of security personnel and assured residents that efforts were ongoing to track down the attackers.
He vowed that security agencies would not relent until the criminal elements terrorising border communities were neutralised.
PUNCH Online had earlier reported that the bandits invaded the church during a special service, shooting indiscriminately before abducting the pastor and an unspecified number of worshippers.
An eyewitness said three congregants died on the spot before the attackers marched several others into the bush.
The same gang later struck along the Ilorin–Kabba Road, forcing travellers to abandon their vehicles. A motorist returning from Niger State recounted in a voice note that the gunmen continued shooting as people fled for safety.
Community leaders expressed frustration over the persistent attacks, saying Eruku had suffered repeated assaults for three consecutive weeks.
One leader, Mr Benjamin Ayeoribe, appealed to the federal and state governments for urgent intervention, warning that residents were living in constant fear.
Kwara State has witnessed a surge in banditry, killings and kidnappings in recent months, with border communities like Eruku bearing the worst of the insecurity.