BREAKING: Kogi Govt Deploys Helicopter, Anti-Kidnapping Squad After Bandits Abduct Pastor, Worshippers In Church Attack

Video footage posted by Egbe Emekun Parrot on Facebook and credited to Olusegun Iselaiye on Sunday shows a state-deployed helicopter and an anti-kidnapping unit combing the area in pursuit of the attackers.

The Kogi State Government has launched an aerial and ground security operation after armed bandits attacked a Cherubim and Seraphim church in Ejiba, Yagba West Local Government Area.

Video footage posted by Egbe Emekun Parrot on Facebook and credited to Olusegun Iselaiye on Sunday shows a state-deployed helicopter and an anti-kidnapping unit combing the area in pursuit of the attackers.

During the assault, the church pastor, popularly known as Orlando, and an unconfirmed number of worshippers were reportedly abducted.

The incident, which occurred earlier today, November 30, 2025, has deepened anxiety among residents and heightened security concerns across the region.

SaharaReporters learnt that efforts are underway to track the perpetrators and secure the safe release of the victims.

Earlier, SaharaReporters reported that video footage emerging from Ejiba showed the aftermath of a violent attack on the church.

The footage obtained by SaharaReporters shows the church interior in disarray, with some congregants’ shoes and Bibles left where they had been seated.

In the video, the person recording the scene described the abduction, pleading for assistance to rescue the victims.

“I hid myself; this is the church where they abducted people. You are seeing where they kidnapped people at Ejiba. Please, save us. Baba Orlando, who is the head of this church, was abducted. You can see the inside. They didn’t bother to put of the speaker or anything,” he said in Yoruba.

The incident adds to a growing pattern of violent attacks targeting places of worship and communities in Kogi State, and some other states, raising urgent calls for heightened security measures.

For instance, on November 18, 2025, bandits stormed the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Isegun, Eruku, in Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State during a worship service.

The attackers fired shots to create panic, killing at least five people before abducting 38 worshippers, including women, children, and elderly members of the congregation.

The abduction sent shockwaves across Kwara State, with widespread fear in the Eruku community and beyond. A list of the abducted members later revealed that 30 of the victims were women, with ages ranging from seven to sixty-four years old.

Initial reports suggested that the kidnappers demanded exorbitant ransoms, as high as N100 million per victim, later reduced to about N20 million each.

After days of tension, Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced on November 23, 2025 that all 38 abducted worshippers had regained their freedom. Their release was attributed to coordinated efforts by security agencies, including the police, Department of State Services (DSS), and National Intelligence Agency (NIA).