Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Pierre Antoine
A coordinated security response by the Nigerian Army, the Ondo State Police Command and local vigilance groups disrupted a midnight kidnapping attempt at a church in southwestern Nigeria, rescuing one worshipper while five remain unaccounted for, according to multiple confirmed media reports. The incident, which has sparked outrage and protests, took place during an early-morning vigil at the Celestial Church of Christ parish in the Uso community of Owo Local Government Area in Ondo State.
Security sources and law enforcement officials said armed men stormed the church along the Uso–Owo Expressway in the very early hours of Wednesday, February 25, 2026, entering the premises while worshippers were engaged in a midnight service. The attackers abducted six congregants and took them to an unknown location after overwhelming the relatively small security presence at the site. Police described the assailants as gunmen though there was no immediate confirmation of any affiliation to larger criminal networks.
According to police authorities, the abduction occurred at about 12:50 a.m., though some eyewitnesses described the attack as beginning closer to 1:00 a.m. The gunmen moved quickly and abruptly, whisking the worshippers from the church compound before disappearing into nearby forested areas and the broader rural landscape bordering the expressway.
The Ondo State Police Public Relations Officer, DSP Abayomi Jimoh, confirmed the abduction in a statement, saying that a decisive security response was mobilised once distress reports reached law enforcement and military units. Officers from the state police command, backed by the Nigerian Army and assisted by local vigilante groups, immediately launched a coordinated rescue operation targeting likely abduction routes and forested hideouts.
Preliminary results of that operation included the successful rescue of one abducted victim, identified locally, who managed to be located relatively quickly by the joint security teams. In addition, authorities reported the arrest of a suspect believed to be connected with the attack. Police indicated that the individual is currently cooperating with investigators and providing information that may assist in locating the remaining worshippers.
The police and military have pledged to maintain and intensify the search operation as long as necessary. Statement from the command emphasised that rescuing the remaining five abducted individuals and apprehending all perpetrators are priorities of the ongoing security effort. Officers also urged residents to remain calm and vigilant, and to share credible intelligence with authorities, noting that timely public cooperation has proven crucial in similar rescue operations.
News coverage indicates that the abduction has heightened security concerns among residents along the Akure–Owo corridor, a region that has seen an uptick in criminal incidents in recent months. Villagers and commuters described panic and fear following the attack, with some residents saying the use of remote roads and forest paths by criminal elements complicates tracking and rescue operations.
The kidnapping has also prompted public protest. Residents of the Uso community and surrounding areas staged demonstrations on the Akure–Owo Expressway, blocking traffic for several hours to express outrage over the insecurity. Protesters demanded more proactive protection from the government and enhanced patrols along rural highways, highlighting the vulnerability of worship centres and communities to nighttime attacks. Chanting under the midday sun, demonstrators called on authorities to do more to safeguard lives and property in an area where criminal gangs have increasingly conducted raids and abduction attempts.
Police reiterated in multiple statements that while one worshipper has been rescued, the remaining five are still regarded as missing, and efforts are ongoing to secure their release. The arrested suspect’s identity and motivations have not been publicly disclosed, but security analysts suggest that local informants could play a role in such operations by providing logistical support or reconnaissance. Officials have neither confirmed nor ruled out that possibility.
Community leaders and local civil society figures condemned the church abduction attempt as an attack not just on the individuals involved but on peaceful religious practice itself. They have called on state and federal authorities to expand security presence around places of worship, particularly in isolated areas, and to adopt intelligence-driven approaches that reduce the risk of similar attacks in future.
This abduction incident follows a series of reported insecurity episodes in Ondo State and neighbouring regions in southwestern Nigeria, where kidnappings for ransom, highway ambushes, and violent raids have been rising. Security officials have attributed much of the violence to loosely organised criminal groups who exploit inadequate night surveillance, challenging terrain, and thinly spread law enforcement resources. Authorities have been under pressure to strengthen security infrastructure to deal with both organised criminal gangs and the broader threat of armed banditry moving into more southern regions of the country.
As the operation continues, families of the missing are awaiting word on the fate of their loved ones, while security agencies maintain high alert and pursue leads aimed at recovering them. Local authorities reiterated an anxiety over delayed ransom demands or unverified communications from the abductors, which had not been confirmed at the time of initial reporting.
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