Police arrest 33-member gang over church abductions in Nigeria

Nigerian police have arrested a 33-member gang over a November attack in which 38 people were abducted from a church in central Kwara state, police said on Tuesday, as part of a nationwide crackdown on violence.

Camillus Eboh and Elisha Bala-Gbogbo/Reuters

14 April 2026 at 10:36:06

Police arrest 33-member gang over church abductions in Nigeria

FILE PHOTO: A person walks outside the Christ Apostolic Church during a Sunday service held for those killed and kidnapped in an attack by gunmen on November 18, in the town of Eruku, Kwara state, Nigeria, November 23, 2025.

Abdullahi Dare Akogun/Reuters

ABUJA - Nigerian police have arrested a 33-member gang over a November attack in which 38 people were abducted from a church in central Kwara state, police said on Tuesday, as part of a nationwide crackdown on violence.

Federal police spokesperson Anthony Okon Placid said the gang carried out the November 18 attack on Christ Apostolic Church in Eruku town and was also responsible for other kidnappings, cattle rustling, and armed robbery across the region.

The 33 suspects were arrested in coordinated raids across Kwara and neighbouring Kogi state following human and technical intelligence, part of a wider operation that has detained 50 suspects since January, Placid said in a statement.

Nigeria has long grappled with insecurity, from mass kidnappings for ransom to banditry and militant attacks. The Eruku assault intensified pressure on the government, already under scrutiny from U.S. President Donald Trump, who had threatened military action over what he calls persecution of Christians.

Placid said the police would charge several suspects soon, while pursuing fleeing gang members and recovering more weapons.

-Reporting by Camillus Eboh; Writitng by Elisha Bala-Gbogbo; Editing by Sharon Singleton/Reuters