Ayetoro-Kiri community in Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area of Kogi State has been thrown into mourning following the death of three out of the 37 worshippers abducted from an ECWA church on December 14, 2025.
The community, which has endured recurring bandit attacks and worsening insecurity across Bunu land, confirmed the development on Saturday.
In a statement issued by the community spokesperson, Mr. David Ampitan, it was disclosed that despite the payment of a N15 million ransom, painstakingly raised through communal contributions, only seven of the abducted victims were released by their captors.
Ampitan stated that three of the released victims were already dead upon arrival, while four others are currently receiving treatment in critical condition at medical facilities. He added that about 30 residents are still being held in captivity, with their fate remaining uncertain.
According to him, the incident highlights what he described as a total failure of security governance in the area, alleging that rather than safeguard lives or pursue the perpetrators, the Kogi State Government, acting through the Chairman of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, Mr. Zaccheus Dare Micheal, responded by dispersing peaceful protesters with tear gas and arresting some of them.
The statement noted that the protesters had merely gathered to demand improved security, justice and the rescue of their abducted relatives.
“It is both ironic and unacceptable that a government entrusted with the protection of lives and property would criminalise peaceful protest, while bandits freely kill, kidnap and terrorise law-abiding citizens,” the statement said.
The community further lamented the repeated loss of lives and the economic burden imposed by incessant ransom payments, stressing that residents were exhausted from burying loved ones, selling personal property and contributing scarce resources to secure the release of victims, all while living under constant fear.
Ampitan appealed to the Federal Government, security agencies and other relevant authorities to urgently intervene in Ayetoro-Kiri community and the wider Bunu district.
He called for immediate efforts to rescue those still in captivity, restore security and ensure accountability for officials alleged to have enabled or ignored what he termed a humanitarian tragedy.
“The lives of Bunu people matter. Enough is sincerely enough,” the statement added.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Kabba-Bunu Local Government Area, Mr. Zaccheus Dare Micheal, has ordered the arrest of protesters who converged on Kabba, the council headquarters, to express their displeasure over the growing wave of bandit attacks in the area.
The protesters were said to have peacefully assembled on Friday along the Kabba–Lokoja road before security operatives dispersed them with tear gas and arrested some participants.
It was recalled that the council chairman had last year warned that he would not tolerate street protests over insecurity, a position that reportedly led to the deployment of police officers to break up the demonstration.
Micheal, who is serving his first term as chairman, recently secured the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, to seek re-election in the forthcoming council poll scheduled for October this year.
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