The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kwara State has raised concern over what it described as “the worsening wave of kidnappings and killings of members of communities in Kwara South Senatorial District.”
It urged authorities to take proactive measures to ensure the restoration of peace and normalcy in the area.
The church expressed its concerns following a fresh attack in Oyatedo village, in Irepodun Local Government Area of the state, where suspected kidnappers killed an ECWA member, Omoniyi Ajise, and abducted his wife alongside four other residents.
The incident was said to have occurred on Wednesday while leaders of ECWA district councils in the state were holding a security meeting in Omu-Aran.
A communiqué issued by the Chairman of the ECWA Joint District Church Councils Forum in the state, Samuel Adewumi, and its Secretary, Joseph Agboluaje, at the end of the meeting on Thursday deliberated on the growing security challenges affecting neighbouring areas.
They lamented that two elderly residents, identified as Dada and Ishola, were among persons earlier abducted in Ahun village but were later released because of their advanced age.
They noted that kidnappings and attacks had become frequent occurrences in several rural communities, saying that the persistent insecurity was affecting farmers at the peak of the cashew harvesting season, a major source of livelihood for residents.
According to the communiqué, “Many farmers had abandoned their farms for fear of attacks, while communities now lived under constant threat from criminal groups.”
Following the incessant attacks, killings, and insecurity, several ECWA churches in affected communities closed and were abandoned by members, while clergy fled their homes in search of safety.
The communiqué explained that many pastors are now without congregations, while members and residents have been compelled to flee their homes. It stressed that economic activities have been disrupted and many families have been thrown into hardship.
They called on the Federal Government, the Kwara State Government and security agencies to urgently strengthen security operations across the affected areas in order to ensure the protection of lives and property.
The Kwara State Police Command’s spokesman, Superintendent of Police Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, stated that the command was not aware of the incidents, as no report had been officially made.
ECWA raises alarm over rising kidnappings, killings in Kwara South
