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Relatives say the bandits who abducted about 35 worshippers from Christ Apostolic Church, Oke-Igan, Eruku, in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, have demanded N100 million per hostage.
Family members and community leaders confirmed on Thursday that the kidnappers have begun reaching out using the phones seized from victims during the Tuesday evening attack.
The Secretary of the CAC assembly, Josiah Agbabiaka, said many families had already been contacted.
He explained that from reports gathered, the abductors divided the victims into groups and instructed the first batch of 11 people to pay N100 million each.
Also speaking on the matter, the Olori Eta of Eruku, Chief Olusegun Olukotun, whose four relatives were among those taken, said the kidnappers were calling families one group at a time.
He recounted that he had been inside the church with five members of his family at the time of the incident but managed to escape through a window while the others were seized.
Meanwhile, the Owa of Eruku, Oba Busari Olarewaju, has called for immediate government action to ensure the hostages are safely rescued.
The monarch appreciated the rapid deployment of soldiers to the community shortly after Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq’s visit on Wednesday but stressed that more action was urgently required.
He noted that the soldiers’ presence provided some relief to residents, yet he urged authorities to intensify rescue operations.
When contacted, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, declined to discuss the matter, advising inquiries be directed to the police.
However, the state Police Public Relations Officer, SP Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, said the command had not received any formal report of ransom demands.
She added that security teams — including the police, military and other agencies — were actively working to locate and free the abducted worshippers.
She said the Commissioner of Police, CP Adekimi Ojo, had appealed to families and community members to share any helpful information that might support the rescue efforts and assured residents that the police remained committed to protecting lives and property across Kwara State.
The Eruku church attack adds to a growing list of violent incidents that have unsettled several communities in the state, fuelling rising fears about the spread of banditry in a region once regarded as relatively secure.
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