Thirty-eight members of the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Oke-Isegun Eruku congregation were left shaken but grateful Sunday as they were rescued from bandits and welcomed by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq and other top government officials.

Bamidele Emmanuel, one of the freed victims, described their experience in the hands of the bandits as “harrowing” and “bad”. “The thanksgiving service had already started when we suddenly started hearing gun shots inside the church compound,” he recounted. “It was obvious they had surrounded the church before we started arriving.”

see video:

The bandits, who killed three people and injured others, ordered the congregation into the bush, where they trekked for several hours through thick forests before being stopped deep in the night. “The experience was harrowing and bad,” Bamidele said. “They call themselves bandits, so they don’t care. They clearly know all the routes in those thick forests and warned us not to attempt to escape, otherwise they’ll kill us.”

Upon their release, the freed abductees, looking haggard and unkempt, were taken to the government house, where they were met by Governor AbdulRazaq and other officials. They were subsequently taken to the clinic for medical attention.

Governor AbdulRazaq commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for his support towards the release of the victims, but emphasized that the government won’t celebrate until the school girls abducted in Kebbi state are rescued. The freed victims will spend the night in government custody, with efforts being made to reunite them with their families once their health is stable.