A member of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Eruku in Kwara State, has shared his experience after being held captive by kidnappers. He was among the worshippers seized during an evening service on November 18.
President Bola Tinubu announced on Sunday that all 38 abducted worshippers had been rescued.
Speaking in an interview with TVC, the victim explained that the attackers stormed the church shortly after the programme began and fired shots around the premises.
“It was a sudden act, a terrifying act. Because that evening, after 30 minutes of the programme, we just heard gunshots,” he said.
He noted that he initially mistook the sound for an electrical spark, not realizing it was gunfire.
He added that the assailants surrounded the entire building during the attack.
“By the time we got up, they surrounded the whole church. Even some people there began to narrate that they were seeing drops of blood everywhere,” he said.
The survivor recounted that the captives were taken deep into a forest dominated by the terrorists.
“It was unimaginable because when we got there, we didn’t know that it was a dominated area,” he said.
He further stated that the abductors openly identified themselves as bandits and emphasized their firm control of the region.
“They made us know that there is no one who can slip away without being caught. And with what we saw, nobody can escape,” he said.
According to him, the group was well-versed in all the routes linking forests across Kwara and nearby states.
“From that place, they have dominated. They knew all the routes surrounding all those bushes within Kwara and other cities. They knew it,” he said.
Kwara and several northern states have witnessed a surge in abductions recently, including the attack on CAC Oke Isegun, Eruku.
Meanwhile, the church resumed service last Sunday.