Gunmen suspected to be bandits have invaded a church in Eda Oniyo, the headquarters of Ilejemeje Local Government Area in Ekiti State, killing a pastor, while an unconfirmed number of residents were feared abducted.
The attack occurred during a revival session on Tuesday evening at a Christ Apostolic Church, where worshippers had gathered for the special programme.
According to eyewitnesses, the gunmen stormed the church at about 6:45 p.m. and opened fire on the congregation, killing the revivalist, identified simply as Pastor Aregbe, while several others sustained injuries.
Chairman of Ilejemeje Local Government, Pius Alaba, said several people were still missing, adding that the exact number of those abducted could not yet be confirmed.
According to him, information from the pastor in charge of the church indicated that while some worshippers escaped into the surrounding bush, others were shot during the attack.
Alaba also confirmed that the corpse of the slain pastor had been deposited at the morgue.
As of the time of filing this report, security agencies had yet to issue an official statement on the incident.
The attack adds to growing concerns over assaults on worship centres and rural communities. In November 2025, gunmen attacked Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Kwara State, during an invasion of the community, leaving at least two people dead and no fewer than 30 worshippers abducted.
That incident also occurred on a Tuesday evening.
Following the Kwara attack, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq condemned the incident and called for urgent reinforcement of security in the area.
The abductors had demanded ₦100 million ransom for each captive before the state government later announced the release of the worshippers.
