By Obinna Uballa
Terror returned to Kwara State on Wednesday as armed men abducted four rice farmers in Bokungi village, Edu Local Government Area, less than 24 hours after terrorists stormed a church in Eruku, killing three worshippers and kidnapping several others.
The latest attack occurred on Wednesday evening during peak harvest hours. Community sources told SaharaReporters that the farmers were surrounded on their fields as they gathered harvested rice.
“It has been confirmed that bandits struck again at Bokungi under the Lafiagi Emirate. Four people were abducted. Information is still emerging,” a source said.
Residents said the assailants operated freely for several minutes, herding the farmers into the bush before fleeing toward an unknown destination. The rising wave of attacks has forced several farming settlements in Edu LGA to become deserted, with many farmers now abandoning their fields for fear of being targeted.
As of press time, the Kwara State Police Command had not issued an official statement.
The latest kidnapping comes on the heels of Tuesday night’s bloodshed in Eruku, Ekiti LGA, where terrorists invaded a branch of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), opened fire on worshippers and killed three people on the spot.
Witnesses said the attackers stormed a church meeting unexpectedly, shooting indiscriminately before marching an unknown number of worshippers, including the pastor, into the bush.
“The gunmen came in suddenly and started shooting. Three people were killed instantly,” a source said. “They gathered others at gunpoint and took them into the bush. We still don’t know how many.”
The assailants reportedly escaped through bush paths linking Eruku to neighbouring communities, leaving residents gripped by fear and uncertainty as the wave of assaults spreads across the state.
