A religious crusade in Agboda village, Nasarawa State, descended into confusion on Monday night after attendees fled in panic over rumours that armed herders were advancing toward the gathering.
A video circulating online shows worshippers running in all directions as shouts filled the air, though no armed individuals appeared in the footage. The man recording the clip claimed the crowd fled because of feared herdsmen.
“They came for a crusade here in Agboda in Nasarawa State. We came in for crusade in this community today, look at what the herdsmen did. As you can see the way people are moving… you can see the youth, everybody is unrest for the sake of herdsmen,” he said.
But Ramhan Hansel, spokesperson for the Nasarawa police command, noted that no such incident had been reported.
“We don’t know where that incident happened, and there is no report of anything like that in Nasarawa State, so you can help us speak to the person in the video if you know him and ask him to kindly come forward,” he told The Cable.
He noted that police have seen the viral clip but cannot act without basic details. Officers, he added, have been contacting divisional heads across the state.
“Since morning, we have been calling all DPOs across the state asking ‘where is this place located?’, but we are yet to get any feedback,” he said, appealing for eyewitnesses to come forward.
While Nasarawa dealt with the panic triggered by the video, residents of Isapa in Kwara State came under a real attack just hours later, with at least 11 people abducted in the latest spate of kidnappings.
The assault on the agrarian community near Eruku happened around 6pm on Monday when 20 to 30 gunmen reportedly stormed the area with cattle, firing shots and forcing residents to flee. Houses were riddled with bullet holes, according to locals.
According to reports, the captives include children, nursing mothers and a pregnant woman. Seven of the victims were said to be from the same household.
“This is the worst attack we have seen in recent times. Seven members of the same family were taken. People are terrified. We don’t even know what to expect next. People are now living in fear. This is too much. Eleven people just disappeared into the bush.
A security official confirmed the abductions and said operatives were conducting a search across forests linking Isapa, Eruku and nearby settlements.
“Yes, 11 people were abducted from what we have gathered. Our men are in that area now to ascertain the exact number and identify those responsible,” he said.
He noted that despite federal reinforcements deployed after the recent church abductions in Eruku, the sheer expanse of the forest makes it hard for security agents to monitor all vulnerable communities.
As of Tuesday, the Kwara police command said it was still verifying the details of the incident. No official statement has been issued by the state government.
