Controversy Trails Alleged Killing, Abduction In Kogi

Armed men suspected to be bandits have attacked the First ECWA Church in Ayetoro-Kiri, Kabba/Bunu local government area of Kogi State.

The incident occurred on Sunday, where one person was killed and 20 others were abducted.
This coincided with another coordinated attack on the same day on Oke-Agi and Ilai communities in Mopamuro local government area of the state, where three people were reportedly killed and an undisclosed number killed.

When contacted by our correspondent on his mobile phone, the chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in Kogi State, Adebayo Olaniyan, said there was no kidnapping of ECWA Church members in Kabba.

He said, “I want you to do your investigation very well. There was no member of ECWA Church kidnapped in Kabba. Thank you.”

When probed further, Olaniyan said, “Go and do your investigation very well.”
As of the time of filing this report, the police public relations officer in Kogi, SP William Ovye Aya, did not respond to calls and messages sent to his phone.

But residents claimed that the attack on ECWA Church in Aiyetoro-Kiri left one worshiper, identified as Jayjay, dead.

Local authorities and security operatives said they would continue to assess the situation, as the number of abducted persons might be higher.

The chairman of the council, Zaccheus Dare Michael, blamed the church for holding its service in a tense area. He ordered the closure of all markets in the community.

In Mopamuro council, the attack on Oke-Agi and Ilai communities was said to have occurred simultaneously at 4:00 a.m. on Sunday, leaving many dead, others were injured, and some residents were abducted.

‎The suspected bandits were said to have operated in the two communities for hours before distress calls were received and intervention came.

‎In the first community, Jamroro settlement, located between Oke-Agi and Takete Isao, inhabited mainly by Tiv people, was attacked. Two people were reportedly killed, while three others sustained injuries and are receiving treatment at an undisclosed hospital.

‎The Ilai attack was on a Bassa community close to the Community Grammar School; one person was allegedly killed while the attackers kidnapped three others.

‎The incidents in the two communities were confirmed by the chairman of Mopamuro local government area, Hon. Ademola Bello, alongside traditional authorities and community leaders.

‎Residents and community sources expressed concern over the delayed response to the attacks, noting that the gunmen operated for over an hour before help came.

On November 30, 2025, gunmen attacked the Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, where scores of people, including the pastor and his wife, were abducted.

The renewed violence has heightened fear across the area, with residents calling on security agencies and the government to take decisive measures to curb the rising wave of coordinated bandit attacks in Yagba Federal Constituency.