Police in Ekiti State have confirmed the rescue of a group of worshippers who were kidnapped during an attack on a Christ Apostolic Church crusade in Eda-Oniyo, in the Ilejemeje Local Government Area. According to Channels Television, the victims regained their freedom in the early hours of Saturday, bringing to an end an ordeal that had lasted more than two months and had weighed heavily on their families and their community.
The abduction had stretched on for weeks, and the safe return of the worshippers was the outcome that many in the community had desperately prayed for. Their release marked the conclusion of a captivity that had begun with the attack on the church crusade and had kept the victims out of the reach of their relatives for a prolonged period.
As of the time of the report, the freed victims were receiving treatment at the Ekiti State University Teaching Hospital, with the cost being borne by the state government. The decision to place the survivors under medical care reflected the toll that the extended period in captivity had taken on them and the need to attend to their condition after they were finally set free.
While the police described the release as a moment of relief, they also expressed sadness over the death of one of the abductees during the ordeal. The loss cast a shadow over the rescue, as the community reckoned with the fact that not everyone who had been taken during the attack survived the long weeks of captivity.
A community representative and former Ekiti State Commissioner, Rufus Ajayi, expressed gratitude for the safe release of the worshippers. He spoke of the anguish that the abduction had caused and of the collective relief that followed the return of the captives, even as the community mourned the one who did not make it home.
According to Ajayi, members of the community had to borrow money to raise 25.5 million naira in order to secure the freedom of the victims. He explained that the burden of gathering the funds had fallen on ordinary people who were determined to bring their relatives and fellow worshippers back, despite the tragic loss of one of the captives along the way.
The kidnappers had reportedly demanded an initial ransom of one billion naira, a figure that was later reduced to 50 million naira. Community leaders nonetheless backed the state government's decision not to take part in the ransom payment, arguing that direct government involvement could have encouraged kidnappers to target Ekiti State more frequently in the future.