Lokoja, Nigeria— Terror gripped worshippers at a late-night church vigil on Friday, April 11, 2025, when armed gunmen launched a brazen attack on a remote prayer site atop a mountain in the Egbola area, along Agbaja Road in Kogi State’s Lokoja Local Government Area.
Eyewitnesses and local sources report that the gunmen struck under the cover of darkness, firing shots indiscriminately to scatter the crowd before dragging several terrified worshippers into the nearby forest.
One of the abducted, a woman identified as Mary Adams Gure, was rescued after local vigilantes engaged the kidnappers in a fierce shootout following a swift response to distress calls. Gure reportedly escaped amid the chaos and was found by the vigilante group, who are now continuing a search-and-rescue operation for the remaining captives.
“They came shooting to scare everyone. People were running in different directions. Some were captured and taken away into the forest,” said a witness.
Efforts to contact the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP William Aya, were unsuccessful, with calls and messages going unanswered as of press time.
This disturbing incident adds to a growing trend of insecurity in Kogi and other parts of Nigeria’s North Central region, where kidnappings at religious events, schools, and on transit routes have become increasingly common.
Authorities are urging calm while security forces and local vigilantes continue their operations. The number of worshippers abducted remains unknown.
