Residents Flee Kogi’s Ayetoro Kiri Community After ECWA Church Attack, Abduction Of Over 20 Worshippers

In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, a resident recorded the deserted Ayetoro Kiri community, with no one visible in the area. The footage shows locked doors and the only sounds being those of roosters crowing.

Ayetoro Kiri, a once-bustling community in Kabba/Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State, has been largely deserted as residents abandon their homes over rising security fears.

As of Thursday morning, December 18, 2025, streets were eerily quiet, homes left empty, and families were seen relocating to nearby towns and villages in search of safety.

Community sources confirmed that the mass exodus followed a violent attack on the First ECWA Church in Ayetoro Kiri on Sunday, December 14, during which armed assailants stormed the church while worshippers were present, abducting over 20 people.

The attack has sent shockwaves through the community, intensifying fears of further assaults. Residents told reporters that the absence of immediate reassurance and a visible security presence compelled them to make the difficult decision to leave their homes.

VIDEO: Residents Flee Kogi Community After Attack, Abduction Of Villagers By Gunmen pic.twitter.com/zevj0yMMq7

— Sahara Reporters (@SaharaReporters) December 18, 2025

“This town is empty now. People are not waiting to be next,” a local resident told SaharaReporters.

“When a church is attacked and people are taken just like that, you start packing your life into bags.”

In a video obtained by SaharaReporters, a resident recorded the deserted Ayetoro Kiri community, with no one visible in the area. The footage shows locked doors and the only sounds being those of roosters crowing.

The video also captures a lorry carrying residents fleeing the town in fear of bandit attacks, as well as several broken windows, which the recorder attributed to the assailants.

“See, there is no one. All of us have left the village. You can see all the doors; they are all closed. We are tired and we don’t know what to do. All these bandits have ‘killed’ our village. On Sunday, 14th of December, they entered our village. Now, see everywhere,” he said in pidgin English.

“They have taken people to the bush, close to 40 people. Please, help us. It is only fowls you can see. Everybody has left. See how they broke all those windows.”

As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of the abducted worshippers remain unconfirmed. Calls are intensifying for urgent intervention by security agencies to restore public confidence and prevent the full displacement of the community.

Ayetoro Kiri now joins a growing list of communities in Kogi State facing mass displacement, as persistent insecurity continues to test the resilience and hope of residents.

On Sunday, SaharaReporters broke the news that no fewer than 20 worshippers had been abducted on after gunmen attacked the First ECWA Church in the community.

Local sources said the attackers stormed the church while a worship session was ongoing, firing sporadically to create panic among congregants.

Many worshippers reportedly fled the scene, while an undisclosed number were seized by the assailants, who later escaped through nearby bush paths.