● 16 worshippers, including toddlers and 80-year-old woman, held 36 days after CAC attack
Outrage boiled over in Eda-Oniyo Community, Ilejemeje LGA, Tuesday as residents staged a peaceful protest over 16 kidnapped worshippers still in captivity 36 days after a ₦10.5 million ransom was paid.
The kidnappers now want ₦50 million more for their release.
–April 28 church massacre–
Suspected bandits stormed Christ Apostolic Church during Sunday service on April 28, 2026. They killed the presiding pastor and abducted 16 worshippers.
Victims include women, two young boys, toddlers aged 2-3, and an 80-year-old woman.
–Ransom dropped from ₦1bn to ₦10.5m, but victims remain–
Community leader Ayodele Ajayi said the abductors first demanded ₦1 billion. After negotiations, it dropped to ₦150 million, then ₦50 million.
Residents pooled ₦10.5 million and delivered it with 2 bags of rice, fuel, and cigarettes as requested.
“They refused to release them. Instead, they are demanding more money,” Ajayi said.
–“We trekked deep into forests”–
Representative Ayodele Oni described delivering the ransom as “traumatic.” Community members traveled through Kwara and Kogi states and trekked into forests to hand over the money.
“Yet our people are still being held,” he said.
Mrs Ajayi, another resident, broke down: “We have children as young as two and three years old and an elderly woman who is over 80 years old. Families are suffering, and children keep asking for their mothers. Women are crying, children are crying, and the entire community is in pain.”
–Community demands security base–
Protesters called on federal, state, and local governments to rescue the victims. They also demanded a security post in Eda-Oniyo and a military base along the Ekiti-Kwara boundary, saying poor security presence makes the area vulnerable.
