The Kogi State government has advised churches and worship centers located in high-risk areas to consider temporary relocation due to escalating insecurity challenges across the state.
The call follows a brazen attack on a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area, where armed bandits stormed an early morning service on Sunday, abducting the pastor, his wife, and several congregants.
Kingsley Fanwo, the state’s Commissioner for Information, issued the advisory while reacting to the incident, urging religious organizations to prioritize the safety of worshippers.
“Worship centers in the outskirts should also reconsider worshipping in crime-prone areas for now until the situation gets better,” Fanwo stated. “Worshipping in the bush without security in this era, just a few weeks after worshippers were abducted from a church in Kwara State, to me is not ideal.”
The commissioner emphasized the need for heightened vigilance among residents, calling on citizens to actively participate in security efforts through intelligence sharing.
“We all need to be security conscious at this time. We also need to volunteer intelligence,” he said. “We urge the citizens to be security-conscious and also report suspicious movements and faces to security agencies. When you see something, say something.”
Fanwo confirmed that security agencies, including both conventional forces and local security networks, have been mobilized to respond to the situation. However, he noted that exact details about the number of victims remain unclear pending official reports from investigators.
“I am also aware that the security network, comprising the conventional security agencies and the local security architecture are currently doing what they should do. We have no figures yet as we await security agencies to carry out their findings and report back to the public,” he added.
