The Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke Isegun, Eruku, in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Sunday held its first service since Tuesday’s deadly bandit attack that left three worshippers dead and 38 others abducted.
The usually vibrant church auditorium was a shadow of itself, with barely 30 members attending the solemn service dominated by prayers for the safe return of the kidnapped congregants and for the repose of the dead.
In his sermon, Pastor Bamidele Lawrence described the incident as a test of faith, assuring the congregation that God had revealed to him that the abducted members would return safely.
He likened their ordeal to the sufferings of the Israelites and urged members to remain steadfast even in the face of tragedy.
“Whenever and wherever death calls, Christians should not deny Jesus Christ. Let us rejoice because those who were killed inside the church are at the feet of our Lord Jesus Christ. Whoever dies because of religion testifies to their faith.
The blood of those who were killed will cry for justice, and God’s judgment will come on them.
“We should not fear death, because death is the way to life,” Pastor Lawrence said.
For some worshippers, the emotional toll remains heavy.
James Ige, whose wife and son were among those abducted, pleaded for intensified rescue efforts, saying his family’s fate rests on prompt action by security forces.
Church Secretary, Michael Agbabiaka, clarified that 38 people were taken, debunking earlier reports suggesting over 60 victims.
He said the initial list contained 35 names, while verification later confirmed three additional non-members abducted during the raid.
He also disclosed that the bandits had earlier demanded N100 million per victim but reduced the ransom to N20 million each before communication ceased on Friday.
Despite the trauma, church leaders urged members to attend the service as an expression of courage and faith.
A heavy presence of security operatives was observed across Eruku throughout the weekend.
Personnel deployed included soldiers, operatives of the Special Tactical Squad from Force Headquarters, SWAT, the Anti-Kidnapping Unit of the Kwara Police Command, and local vigilantes.
The deployment followed President Bola Tinubu’s directive for joint operations to locate the attackers and secure the release of the remaining hostages.