The secretary of the church, Josiah Agbabiaka, said the abductors divided the captives into clusters.
The terrorists who seized scores of worshippers from the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Igan, in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, have reportedly asked for N100 million ransom for the release of each abducted person.
Family members and community figures reportedly told The PUNCH on Thursday that the kidnappers used phones taken from the victims to reach relatives. The contacts began late Wednesday and continued into Thursday morning.
The secretary of the church, Josiah Agbabiaka, told The PUNCH that several families had already been called.
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He said the abductors divided the captives into clusters.
"From what we were told, they grouped the victims. The first group of 11 people has been asked to pay N100 million each," he said.
The Olori Eta of Eruku, Olusegun Olukotun, who has four relatives among those taken, also confirmed that calls had gone out to some households.
He explained that the abductors were contacting the groups in stages.
"They said the victims were grouped and they are calling each group's relatives," he told the newspaper.
He added that he managed to escape through a window during the attack, while other members of his family were taken.
The town's traditional ruler, the Owa of Eruku, Oba Busari Olarewaju, appealed for a swift rescue operation.
He acknowledged the deployment of soldiers to the community shortly after Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq's visit on Wednesday, but insisted that the situation required stronger intervention.
"We are still appealing that efforts should be intensified to rescue our people as quickly as possible," he said.
The governor's spokesperson, Rafiu Ajakaye, declined to issue a comment on the ransom claims and asked journalists to "speak to the police."
However, the Police Public Relations Officer, Adetoun Ejire Adeyemi, told The PUNCH that the command had yet to receive an official report of any ransom demand.
She said police units, the military and other agencies were already in the area and "making concerted efforts to rescue the abducted victims."
She urged residents to share timely information that may support ongoing operations.
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The attack on the church, which left two worshippers dead and more than 30 others missing, is one of several violent incidents recorded in Kwara in recent weeks.
The rise in attacks has unsettled communities in parts of the state and prompted stronger security deployments across the Kwara-Kogi border axis.
