- Worshippers and residents of Omugo, in Ifelodun Local Government Area, have provided chilling firsthand narrations of how armed bandits in green masks and blue attire emerged from the bush to storm the Evangelical Church of West Africa (ECWA) during their Sunday service.
- Survivors recounted how the attackers, unable to capture everyone, targeted those less agile; 80-year-old Alice Afariogun narrated being dragged on the ground and struck with a gun butt, while her husband and others were forcibly taken into the forest.
- While the Kwara State Government claims a coordinated security response rescued three victims, the community maintains that the bandits voluntarily released an infant and two elderly women they considered “unprofitable” due to their physical condition.
A quiet Sunday morning in Omugo, Kwara was shattered as community members recounted a scene of pure terror.
Eko Hot Blog reports that worshippers were midway through hymns around 9:00 a.m. on March 22, 2026, when suspicious men were spotted advancing from the nearby forest.
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Despite immediate alarms raised by congregants, the gunmen opened fire to prevent escape, eventually abducting at least eight people.
Among those still being held, according to the community, are the pastor’s wife and several high-ranking local chiefs, including Chief David Omopariola and Chief Joseph Ibitoye Afariogun.
The devastation within the village is palpable, as residents describe Omugo as a “ghost town” following a mass exodus.
Survivors told reporters that the lack of immediate security presence during the raid has left them feeling abandoned.
Vehicles loaded with beds and household essentials have been seen departing the agrarian settlement, as families flee in fear of a repeat assault.
Omolola Daramola, whose parents were both kidnapped, made a tearful plea to the authorities, stating that the community is currently defenseless against such sophisticated threats.
The Olomugo of Omugo, Oba David Adeboye Odeyemi, corroborated the community’s version of events, emphasizing that local vigilantes are willing to defend their land but are severely outgunned.
He challenged the government’s narrative of a “coordinated rescue,” suggesting instead that the freed victims were simply left behind by the bandits in the bush.
As the forest combing operations continue, the people of Omugo remain in a state of grief and uncertainty, calling for a permanent security outpost to protect their homes and places of worship from further incursions.
