Reported by: Ijeoma G | Edited by: Oravbiere Osayomore Promise.
A pall of grief has descended on the Omugo community in Ifelodun Local Government Area of Kwara State following reports that five of the eight worshippers abducted from the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) on 22 March 2026 have died while in the hands of their captors. The victims, most of them elderly and including the wife of the church’s minister, are feared to have perished after more than two months in captivity despite the payment of a N20 million ransom and the supply of food items and drinks demanded by the kidnappers.
The tragic news was broken by the church’s minister, Rev. Timothy Omole, in a message to the congregation and later confirmed to Daily Trust in a telephone chat on Wednesday night, 3 June 2026. Rev. Omole said the information was relayed by Mr Sunday Bakare, one of the abductees who escaped from the kidnappers’ den after spending over a month in captivity. “It is with deep pain in my heart that I inform you that out of eight people that were abducted from ECWA Omugo on the 22nd of March, 2026, only three are still with the kidnappers. The remaining five have gone to be with the Lord,” the clergyman said. He identified the deceased as Elder Chief David Omopariola, Chief Joseph Ibitoye Afariogun, Mrs Iyabo Aniyi, Elder Joshua Akanbi Adeyemi and Mrs Rachel Oluwaremilekun Omole – his own wife.
The abduction occurred on the morning of 22 March when heavily armed gunmen stormed the ECWA church in Omugo, located in the Oro Ago District of Ifelodun LGA, firing sporadically to instil panic before forcing eight worshippers into a nearby forest. Most of the victims were elderly persons aged 70 years and above. Shortly after the attack, the kidnappers contacted the families and demanded an initial ransom of N1 billion, a sum that was later reduced to N150 million during protracted negotiations. Sources familiar with the negotiations told Daily Trust that the families eventually raised about N20 million and also provided food items and other supplies allegedly requested by the abductors. Despite receiving the payment and supplies, the kidnappers failed to release the captives.
Rev. Omole told Vanguard that, after the community had paid N20 million and provided additional goods worth more than N300,000, the abductors refused to free the worshippers and instead demanded another N300 million, describing the action as a clear pattern of exploitation. One of the escaped abductees, Mr Sunday Bakare, reportedly informed the church that five of the abductees had died while three others remained in captivity. It was also gathered that some of the victims were on medication but were allegedly denied access to their drugs by their captors.
As of the time of this report, security agencies had not officially confirmed the deaths. The Kwara State Police Command’s spokesperson, Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, told The Punch that the command had not received any report confirming the alleged deaths, saying: “The command is not aware of such an incident, especially relating to the abductees being killed.” Nevertheless, the reported deaths have plunged the Omugo community and the ECWA congregation into deep mourning, while the families of the three remaining captives continue to wait in anguish for any sign of their release.
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