Imagine hymns rising in a quiet Nigerian village. Then, gunfire shatters the peace.
On Sunday, November 30, 2025, armed bandits stormed a Cherubim and Seraphim Church in Ejiba, Yagba West LGA, Kogi State.
Worshippers scattered in terror, leaving shoes and open Bibles strewn across the floor.
The pastor, known locally as Orlando, was snatched along with his wife and several congregants.
Exact numbers remain unclear, reports whisper of scores, but officials stay mum.
No shots hit flesh, a rare mercy amid Nigeria's bandit plague.
Eyewitnesses recall the chaos: gunmen bursting in mid-service, herding victims into nearby bushes.
This new outpost church, tucked in a crime-prone border zone, became a sudden target.
Just yesterday, attackers hit the Isanlu-Makutu road nearby, heightening local dread.
Residents murmur of shadowy figures watching from the woods for days.
Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo swiftly mobilized: helicopters whir overhead, anti-kidnapping squads scour the terrain.
Information Commissioner Kingsley Fanwo condemned the raid, vowing relentless pursuit.
"We'll leave no stone unturned," he declared, urging vigilance from all.
Yet whispers swirl, will ransom demands follow, or is this a grim message?
Yagba West, a lush but lawless fringe, has seen too many such shadows lately.
From Kwara's deadly church assaults to Kogi's farm kidnaps, fear grips the faithful.
Orlando's flock prays quietly now, Bibles clutched like shields.
As night falls, one question haunts: In God's house, who guards the door?
Hope flickers with the choppers' roar, rescue must come soon.
Nigeria's heartland bleeds, but its people endure, unbowed.
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