The 38 worshippers abducted during last Tuesday’s attack on Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke Isegun in Eruku, Kwara State, have regained their freedom after days in captivity, The ICIR has confirmed.
The victims were rescued on Sunday following a coordinated security operation involving federal and state agencies, bringing an end to a tense five-day search sparked by the assault, which left three worshippers dead and heightened fears over insecurity in Kwara’s border communities.
In a statement issued on Sunday, Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Rafiu Ajakaye, said Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq confirmed the release of all abducted victims, attributing the breakthrough to the “hands-on involvement” of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the governor, President Tinubu cancelled a scheduled trip to the G-20 Summit in South Africa to personally oversee the rescue efforts.
“This is wholly due to the hands-on approach of President Bola Tinubu, GCFR, who has personally led the efforts to free the abductees,” the statement said. “The abductees were freed today, November 23. The President had called off his scheduled trip to attend to the breaches in Kwara and Kebbi States and ordered heightened security deployments to Kwara.”
Earlier reports by The ICIR confirmed that four new tactical teams—including intelligence units and rapid-response squads from Abuja—were deployed on the President’s directive.
Governor AbdulRazaq also commended the roles played by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Nigerian Army, the Nigeria Intelligence Agency (NIA), the Nigeria Police Force, and local vigilante groups in securing the release of the victims.
