Nollywood Star Bukola Arugba Says 3 Cousins Abducted in Eruku Bandit Attack
Nollywood actress Oluwabukola Awoyemi, popularly known as Bukola Arugba, has raised alarm over Tuesday night’s deadly attack on worshippers at the Christ Apostolic Church, Oke Isegun, in Eruku, Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, saying several of her relatives were abducted during the raid.
In a video posted on Instagram on Wednesday, November 19, the actress, who hails from Eruku, said the incident was far more severe than portrayed in the official statement issued by the Kwara First Lady, Olufolake AbdulRazaq, who described the incident as merely an “attempted attack.”
Arugba insisted that the attackers succeeded in killing worshippers and abducting several others, contradicting the First Lady’s earlier comment.
“The information you got from the Kwara State police is false, madam,” she said.
“This involves my people directly. They were streaming live while the church programme was going on. It was a successful attack, not an attempted attack.”
She said the First Lady’s statement downplayed the gravity of the incident, causing further distress to the affected community.
“I was in so much pain when I saw the release that it was an attempted attack, that nobody died… A lot of people were abducted; three people are dead,” Arugba said.
The actress disclosed that her family members are among those being held by the gunmen. “Three to four of my cousins are in the bandits’ den; they have been abducted,” she said.
She listed some of the abducted, including Evangelist Titi Balogun, whom she described as her mother’s younger sister, and Ebenezer Aina, her cousin’s son. Arugba said residents are gripped with fear and uncertainty over the fate of those taken.
“Everyone is crying in my town now because we don’t even know if they will be found dead or alive,” the actress noted.
Naija News reported earlier that the gunmen stormed the church mid-service during a livestreamed programme. Footage circulating online showed worshippers screaming and fleeing as the attackers opened fire inside the building.
Three people were confirmed dead, and several others, including the pastor, were kidnapped.
Actress Faults First Lady’s Statement
Arugba expressed disappointment that the First Lady’s statement failed to reflect the reality on the ground.
“It’s so painful that we are seeing what we saw on your page; the reports on your page are false. It totally contradicts what actually happened.”
She suggested that the official version of events might have come from inaccurate police briefings.
Calls for Swift Government Action
The actress appealed to the government to immediately intervene to rescue the abducted residents, stressing that the full number of victims is still unclear.
“We don’t even know the number of people abducted, and we and the whole of Nigeria need to be saved,” she said.
The attack has intensified public calls for stronger security measures in Kwara’s border communities, coming barely 24 hours after the abduction of 25 schoolgirls in Kebbi State.