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21:06 GMT
Rabat – Gunmen stormed a church in central Nigeria on Tuesday evening, killing at least two people and abducting the priest along with an undetermined number of worshipers, according to Nigerian police. The attack, in the town of Iroko, Kwara State, adds to a surge in violent incidents across the nation and intensifies pressure on the Nigerian government to address escalating security concerns.
The assault occurred while a service was underway, sending congregants into a panic, as seen in circulating video footage. Police responded to reports of gunfire and discovered the bodies of two church workers – one inside the church and another near a nearby forest. While police confirmed two fatalities, eyewitness accounts suggest the death toll may be as high as three. Kwara State Police spokeswoman Adetun Ejeri-Adeyemi confirmed the immediate police response in a press statement. This incident follows the recent kidnapping of 25 female students from a boarding school in the northwest, highlighting a pattern of increasing insecurity.
Witnesses reported the attackers forced several worshipers, including the priest, into a nearby forest.The exact number of those kidnapped remains unconfirmed. The attack underscores the complex security challenges facing Nigeria, stemming from extremist groups in the northeast, armed gangs in the northwest, and ongoing conflicts between farmers and herders in the Middle Belt regions.
