The Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA) in Kwara State has raised concerns over the rising wave of kidnappings and killings in communities across the Kwara South Senatorial District, calling on authorities to urgently strengthen security.
The alarm followed a recent attack in Oyatedo village in Irepodun Local Government Area, where suspected kidnappers reportedly killed an ECWA member, Omoniyi Ajise, and abducted his wife alongside four other residents.
The incident occurred on Wednesday while leaders of ECWA district councils in the state were holding a security meeting in Omu-Aran to discuss the growing safety challenges affecting communities in the area.
In a communiqué issued after the meeting, the Chairman of the ECWA Joint District Church Councils Forum in the state, Samuel Adewumi, said the attack was one of several incidents recorded across communities in Kwara South.
According to the church leaders, kidnappings and attacks have become increasingly frequent in communities around Oro-Ago, Babanla and neighbouring areas.
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They also revealed that two elderly residents, identified as Dada and Ishola, were earlier abducted in Ahun village but were later released after their captors reportedly realised their advanced age.
The church leaders described the security situation as alarming, noting that many farmers have abandoned their farms due to fear of attacks, especially during the peak of the cashew harvesting season, which serves as a major source of livelihood for residents.
They also lamented that insecurity had forced the closure of several ECWA churches in affected communities as members and clergy fled their homes in search of safety.
The forum urged the Federal Government, the Kwara State Government and security agencies to deploy more personnel, strengthen intelligence gathering and adopt proactive measures to curb kidnapping and other criminal activities in the region.
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