Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
The nightmare began on the night of Tuesday, April 28, 2026, in the quiet farming community of Eda‑Oniyo, nestled in the Ilejemeje Local Government Area of Ekiti State, a region that shares a porous border with Kwara State. Worshipers had gathered at the Christ Apostolic Church for a revival programme, a late‑night vigil that lasted past 7 p.m. At approximately 7:15 p.m., the atmosphere of prayer and song was shattered by the roar of engines and a hail of gunfire. Armed men, estimated to be over a dozen, stormed the church compound. Eyewitnesses and security reports indicate the assailants opened fire indiscriminately for over thirty minutes, sending the congregation into a chaotic stampede. When the shooting stopped and the dust settled, a visiting pastor from out of town lay dead in a pool of blood. He had traveled specifically to lead the revival. In the ensuing panic, the gunmen rounded up and herded at least 15 people into the surrounding forest. The official count would later be revised to 16, comprising mostly women, teenage girls, and several young children, including a mother with her three offspring.
In the days that followed, the captivity of the victims became a torturous waiting game for the people of Eda‑Oniyo. The traditional ruler, the Eleda of Eda‑Oniyo, Oba Joseph (or Julius) Awolola, confirmed the worst fear of the community when he disclosed that the abductors had made contact and laid down an astronomical financial demand. The kidnappers were asking for a staggering One Billion Naira as ransom for the release of the 15 surviving worshippers. “The abductors are demanding N1 billion ransom to secure the release of the worshippers. This has thrown the entire town into fear,” the monarch told a delegation of security chiefs and government officials. The demand was seen as not just a criminal act but a direct economic siege on a community that largely subsists on small‑scale farming and petty trade. With the Federal Government's official stance prohibiting the payment of ransoms to terrorists and kidnappers, the community found itself trapped between a rock and a hard place: unable to pay and yet desperate to see their mothers and children come home alive.
However, six days into the harrowing ordeal, a significant, albeit concerning, development emerged. According to the Chairman of the Eda‑Oniyo Progressive Union, Dr. Rufus Ajayi, the abductors have reduced their ransom demand. Dr. Ajayi revealed this to a high‑level delegation of the Ekiti State Government led by the Deputy Governor, Monisade Afuye, who visited the community on May 3 to assess the security situation. “Sixteen people abducted six days ago are still with their captors. There are many women and young children among them. The kidnappers are now demanding a minimum of N150 million as ransom,” Dr. Ajayi disclosed. He added a grim caveat that negotiations have hit a dead end so far. “The community made an offer, but it was rejected. We are appealing to the government to assist us. This is an emergency situation.” The reduction, while a massive drop from the initial One Billion Naira, remains an impossibly high sum for the impoverished agrarian settlement, signaling that the kidnappers are likely well aware of the community’s financial limits and are now playing a brutal psychological game of attrition.
The response from the authorities has been a mix of military action, political maneuvering, and drastic policy shifts. The Commissioner of Police in Ekiti State, Michael Falade, who assumed office barely a month before this incident, personally led a team of senior officers to the affected community. He ordered the immediate deployment of a joint security task force comprising the Police, the Nigerian Army, the Amotekun Corps, and local vigilantes to conduct intensive bush‑combing operations in the forests linking Ekiti and Kwara. Inspector‑General of Police Kayode Egbetokun has also ordered tactical commanders to ensure the immediate rescue of the victims. Governor Biodun Oyebanji, who was represented by his deputy, Mrs. Monisade Afuye, issued a stark directive to the community. While vowing that “this government will never abandon you,” the governor suspended all night vigils indefinitely across the region, ordering that religious activities be conducted strictly during daylight hours as a safety measure. “Let us suspend night vigils for now. Religious activities should be held during the day, and we trust God will answer our prayers,” the governor said in a statement.
This incident has sparked a fierce debate about the state of security in Nigeria’s South‑West region, an area once celebrated for being relatively insulated from the banditry ravaging the North. The Social Democratic Party chieftain and former presidential candidate, Adewole Adebayo, condemned the attack, laying the blame squarely at the feet of the federal government. “Nigerians should not have to live in fear,” Adebayo said in a statement, attributing the crisis to a systemic failure of governance. The zone had been configured to handle low‑level crime, not the sophisticated, AK‑47‑wielding gangs that operate from the border forests. The police, however, have pushed back against claims of negligence. In a statement on May 2, Police Public Relations Officer Sunday Abutu dismissed the assertion that there was no security presence in the area as a “fallacy.” He noted that while Eda‑Oniyo does not have a full police division, it is covered by the Iye‑Ekiti Divisional Headquarters, which conducts regular patrols. The division falls under a Joint Task Force that includes the military, DSS, and NSCDC. The police also criticized the church organizers for failing to notify security agencies about the late‑night vigil, despite the known vulnerability of the location.
As of the evening of May 4, the sixteen worshippers, many of them children, remain in the hands of their captors. The $150 million Naira figure hangs over the community like a dark cloud, with families desperately hoping the government will intervene to either pay the sum or force a rescue. The state government has reiterated its commitment to rescuing the victims alive. For the people of Eda‑Oniyo, every minute that passes feels like an eternity as they wait for news—praying for a miracle that will bring their loved ones back from the forest.
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