A survivor of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Eruku attack in Kwara State has described the harrowing experience he and other worshippers endured in the hands of bandits who abducted 38 people during an evening service on November 18.
The victim, who spoke with TVC after their rescue was announced by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Sunday, said the attackers struck barely 30 minutes after the programme began.
“It was a sudden, terrifying act,” he recalled. “We just heard gunshots. At first, I didn’t even recognise it as gunfire. I thought it was some electrical spark.”
He said the assailants quickly surrounded the entire church building, firing repeatedly as worshippers scrambled for safety.
“By the time we got up, they had surrounded the whole church. Some people said they were already seeing drops of blood everywhere,” he added.
The abductees were marched deep into a forested zone the attackers claimed to control.
“It was unimaginable. When we got there, we didn’t know it was a dominated area,” the survivor said.
According to him, the bandits openly identified themselves and boasted about their stronghold across forests in Kwara and neighbouring states.
“They made us understand that no one could escape. And from what we saw, it was true. They knew all the routes in those bushes within Kwara and other cities.”
He added that the kidnappers appeared deeply familiar with the terrain, navigating multiple forest paths with ease.
The attack, one of several abductions recorded recently in Kwara and other northern states, left three worshippers dead and sparked widespread outrage.
Meanwhile, CAC Oke Isegun, Eruku, has since resumed worship services as the community begins the slow process of recovery.
