By Muhammed Akindele
Following the Tuesday’s deadly attack on worshippers at the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Kwara State, the Nigerian military has on Wednesday, taken over Oke-Isegun community as part of efforts to restore security and track down the bandits who killed three people and abducted several worshippers.
The attackers stormed the church during a service, firing repeatedly and forcing worshippers—young and old—to run for safety. A viral video from the scene shows gunmen shooting inside the church auditorium, chasing some congregants into smaller rooms and carting away handbags left behind.
Community spokesman, Ayeni Olanipekun, confirmed that troops have now taken full control of the town. The Kwara State Commissioner of Police, Ojo Adekimi, also arrived with a tactical team, while security sources said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu approved the rapid deployment.
“We also learnt that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq is on his way to the community,” Olanipekun said, adding that several local hunters who joined the rescue operation have not yet returned from the forest.
RESIDENTS, NIGERIANS QUESTION STRATEGY
While the deployment has brought temporary calm in the community, online reactions show that many Nigerians are questioning the military’s approach, asking why security forces were stationed mainly inside the town instead of the surrounding forest where the real bandits are hidig
Some commenters argued that the real battleground is the bush, not the community.
A number of Nigerians expressed worry that the kidnappers may have moved deeper into the forest while soldiers occupied the town. Others asked why no arrests or rescues have been announced more than 24 hours after the attack.
A concerned Facebook user wrote that securing the community alone “makes no difference if the bandits are still in the forest with the victims.” Another commenter suggested that troops should “take over the bush and then place strategic guards around the town,” insisting that criminals rarely wait inside communities for the military to arrive.
There were also sarcastic reactions, with some Nigerians saying they feared a situation where “bandits end up chasing soldiers,” exposing the rise of public distrust in the country’s security response to rural attacks.
