Suspected armed bandits launched an assault on a church located in the Ejiba community, which is situated within Yagba West Local Government Area in Kogi State, resulting in the abduction of a pastor, his wife, and multiple worshippers.
The attack took place while a church service was in progress at a recently established Cherubim and Seraphim Church on Sunday, November 30, 2025.
Adegboyega Oguns, a witness who was present inside the church at the time of the incident, stated that the congregation scattered in fear and fled as the assailants carried out their operation.
According to Oguns, the bandits kidnapped the church pastor, who is widely known as Orlando, along with his wife and a number of other individuals during the course of the attack.
“It’s a new Cherubim and Seraphim church. The pastor popularly called Orlando and wife with some others have been kidnapped,” he said.
“It is serious, we all ran out of church.”
The Kogi State Government has officially acknowledged the occurrence of the kidnapping and stated that it has increased the level of surveillance and patrol activities while initiating an extensive search operation to apprehend the kidnappers.
Kingsley Fanwo, the Commissioner for Information and Communication, made this announcement in a formal statement in which he called upon the public to remain watchful and to promptly report any suspicious activities or movements to the relevant security authorities.
“I can confirm that our security network which comprises the conventional security, vigilante and the hunters are currently on their trail. We will get our people back,” he said.
“The Governor has been fully briefed and the State Security Adviser is coordinating with security agencies to ensure we secure their release.
“On the Ejiba Church attack, the State Government is also doing what is necessary, coordinating with local security architecture. We won’t give details of what is being done. But we want to assure all that the life of every Kogite matters.
“We also want to urge our people to be vigilant and report suspicious movement and faces to security agencies. Churches located in the outskirts should also be extraordinarily careful as they could be soft targets.
“Sole services can take place online so that we understand ourselves during this period that we are working hard to get these criminals out of our state. Wisdom is profitable to direct.
“We have to be alive to worship God. God doesn’t encourage us to take unnecessary risks. Let us do the right things at the right time and at the right places. It won’t be like this for long. We are winning the battle.”
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli