Kwara Ekiti LG orders suspension of night vigil following attack

Authorities in Nigeria's Kwara State have banned night vigils in worship centers across the Ekiti Local Government Area following a violent attack that left three people dead and 15 abducted. The Executive Chairman, Awelewa Olawale Gabriel, ordered the indefinite suspension after gunmen targeted a Christian night vigil held at Ori-Oke Ajaiye, near Ikerin-Opin.

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Faith cannot be practiced at the expense of life. We have consistently advised churches and mosques in isolated areas to stop holding night vigils. Worship is meant to edify and protect, not expose people to avoidable danger.

The council chairman expressed deep concern that religious services continued in isolated locations despite previous warnings issued to religious bodies. "Faith cannot be practiced at the expense of life," Gabriel stated, emphasizing that worship should protect, not endanger, individuals. He urged religious groups in outlying areas to move their services to community centers within towns and villages and to limit daytime services to a maximum of two hours.

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Security is a shared responsibility. Our people must choose prudence over ritual when the environment is unsafe. No prayer is more valuable than human life.

Gabriel described the midnight raid as a "painful reminder that insecurity thrives where communities are unguarded, and warnings are ignored." He noted that the church's remote location on a hill made a quick response from security personnel impossible. The chairman assured residents that the council would collaborate with state government and security agencies to secure the rescue of the abducted worshippers and enhance surveillance in vulnerable communities. He extended sympathy to the families affected by the attack.

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Awelewa described the midnight raid as “a painful reminder that insecurity thrives where communities are unguarded, and warnings are ignored.”