The Evangelical Church Winning All in Kwara State has raised the alarm over what it describes as a worsening wave of kidnappings and targeted killings across communities in the Kwara South Senatorial District, calling on authorities to take urgent action to restore security after a fresh attack claimed one life and left five others in captivity.
The church’s position followed a fresh attack in Oyatedo village in Irepodun Local Government Area, where suspected kidnappers killed an ECWA member, Omoniyi Ajise, and abducted his wife alongside four other residents. T
he incident occurred on Wednesday while leaders of ECWA district councils in the state were holding a security meeting in Omu-Aran to address the very crisis that was unfolding in real time in their communities.
The church’s communiqué, signed by the Chairman of the ECWA Joint District Church Councils Forum in the state, Samuel Adewumi, and its Secretary, Joseph Agboluaje, urged authorities to deploy more security personnel, strengthen intelligence gathering and adopt proactive strategies to curb kidnapping and other criminal activities in Kwara South and neighbouring communities.
The ECWA forum said the church remained committed to supporting peace efforts through prayers and moral guidance while encouraging members to remain law-abiding but the statement made clear that its patience with the pace of government response is wearing thin.
Report has it that when contacted for a reaction, the Kwara State Police Command said it was unaware of the attack. The command’s spokesperson, Superintendent of Police Adetoun Ejire-Adeyemi, told journalists in a telephone interview that no report had been made and also added that the command was working round the clock to ensure the state remained safe for residents.
Residents of affected areas have repeatedly said that attacks occur in their communities without ever making it into official police records
Recent months have witnessed rising security concerns across parts of Kwara State, particularly in rural communities bordering forests and interstate routes linking the state with neighbouring Niger, Ekiti and Osun states, where residents have reported increased activities of kidnappers and armed gangs.
The Irepodun attack is the latest in a string of incidents that have left communities across Kwara South living in fear and burying their dead while waiting for a security response that consistently arrives too late.
