The Kogi State Government has deployed helicopters and ground forces in an extensive security operation following a bandit attack on a Cherubim and Seraphim church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area.
According to Sahara Reporters, a video posted on Facebook by Egbe Emekun Parrot and credited to Olusegun Iselaiye on Sunday shows a state-deployed helicopter and anti-kidnapping unit searching the area in pursuit of the attackers.
Security forces are working to track down the perpetrators and secure the safe release of the victims.
The gunmen abducted the church’s pastor, popularly known as Orlando, along with an unconfirmed number of worshippers during the attack.
Video footage from the scene shows the church interior in complete disarray, with congregants’ shoes and Bibles scattered where they had been sitting before the attack.
In the recording, the person documenting the aftermath described the abduction while appealing for help to rescue the victims.
“I hid myself; this is the church where they abducted people. You are seeing where they kidnapped people at Ejiba. Please, save us. Baba Orlando, who is the head of this church, was abducted. You can see the inside. They didn’t bother to put off the speaker or anything,” he said in Yoruba.
The attack on the place of worship represents the latest in a series of kidnapping incidents targeting religious gatherings across Nigeria in recent weeks.
Similar attacks have occurred in Kwara State, where 38 worshippers were abducted from a church in Eruku, and in other parts of the country, prompting President Bola Tinubu to declare a national security emergency.
The Kogi State Government’s deployment of aerial surveillance and specialized anti-kidnapping units signals an intensified approach to combating the escalating insecurity in the state.
Governor Usman Ododo’s administration has come under pressure to address security challenges in Kogi State, particularly in the western senatorial district where Yagba West is located.
The use of helicopters in the rescue operation marks a significant escalation in the state’s security response, demonstrating the government’s determination to locate and rescue the abducted victims.
As of the time of this report, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the exact number of abducted worshippers remains unclear.
