The 38 abducted worshippers of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Eruku, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State have regained their freedom.
Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced the development on Sunday, describing the rescue as the result of intense collaboration among security agencies and government authorities.
The Governor credited the successful operation to what he described as President Bola Tinubu’s “hands-on approach,” saying the President personally led efforts to secure the release of the abducted individuals.
He revealed that President Tinubu cancelled a scheduled trip to the G20 meeting in South Africa to focus on security breaches in Kwara and Kebbi States, and also ordered increased security deployments to the affected areas.
Governor AbdulRazaq expressed appreciation to the Office of the National Security Adviser, the Department of State Services, the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Intelligence Agency, and the Nigeria Police Force, which recently deployed four additional tactical teams to Kwara on the President’s orders.
The gunmen had attacked the church during a service on Friday, killing at least two worshippers and abducting 38 people, including the pastor.
The kidnappers later contacted family members and demanded a ransom of 100 million naira for each victim.
It is not yet known whether any ransom was paid before the victims regained their freedom.
