Five of the eight worshippers kidnapped during a Sunday service at ECWA Church Omugo in Ifelodun local government area of Kwara State are dead, the pastor said Wednesday. One of the abductees escaped captivity and brought the news to Rev Sunday Omole, the church pastor.
The eight people were taken on March 22, 2026, during morning worship. Among the dead is Mrs Rachel Oluwaremilekun Omole, the pastor's wife. The other four killed were Elder Chief David Omopariola, Chief Joseph Ibitoye Afariogun, Mrs Iyabo Aniyi, and Elder Joshua Akanbi Adeyemi.
Mr Sunday Bakare, one of the abductees who escaped after more than a month in captivity, reported that only three worshippers remain with the kidnappers. He is now receiving medical attention at a private hospital in Omunaran. The three still held are in terrible health condition, according to church sources.
The terrorists have already extracted a heavy price from the community. Ifelodun residents paid 20 million naira and provided items worth more than 300,000 naira to secure the hostages' release. The kidnappers rejected this and demanded an additional 300 million naira, prompting Rev Omole to urge the federal government last month to intervene. He said the terrorists' escalating demands showed they wanted only to exploit the community.
In a statement released Wednesday, Rev Omole told worshippers that the deaths represented a test of faith. He quoted John 16:33 and referenced the early church's experience of martyrdom, urging the congregation to find peace in God during what he called a difficult moment. The escaped abductee remains the sole survivor to report from inside the terrorists' custody.
