A 49-year-old Nigerian woman has shared her terrifying experience of surviving a deadly bandit attack at the Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku, Kwara State, revealing how she narrowly escaped abduction by hiding in bushes throughout the night.
The Night of Terror at Eruku Church
The attack occurred during a worship service when armed bandits stormed the church premises and opened fire on congregants. The violent incident resulted in several fatalities and approximately 38 kidnappings, according to earlier reports.
In an exclusive interview with TVC News conducted at the same church days after the attack, the survivor recounted her harrowing experience. She explained that she was positioned at the front of the church with another woman when the chaos began, placing them almost at the center of the unfolding tragedy.
Quick Thinking and Bush Escape
"We were at the front, they were far away... those people at the back," the woman recalled. "Me and that woman, we were in the middle. Then I just looked back and saw that those people coming from the back were far. There's a little bit of bush between us, so I just decided to step aside into the bush."
Her quick thinking proved to be life-saving. The other woman continued walking forward while she strategically hid in nearby vegetation. The bandits passed dangerously close to her hiding spot, completely unaware of her presence just steps away.
"That woman going in front of me, she looked back like this, she saw that I had branched. The woman continued going, she didn't say anything. I just stayed in that bush," she narrated.
Overnight Survival in the Wilderness
The 49-year-old survivor remained concealed in the bushes throughout the night as the bandits operated in the area. She could hear them speaking and moving nearby, but her hiding spot remained undetected due to the darkness.
"All of them passed by. They were talking but they did not know because it was already dark. They did not know that one woman had escaped, so I slept in that bush throughout the midnight," she explained.
The following morning brought new challenges as she struggled to find her way back to safety. "When it was morning the next day, I started looking for a way out because I didn't know the road again. I suffered a lot before I could return to the village," the woman revealed.
This personal account emerges amid growing concerns about security in Kwara State and across Nigeria, where places of worship have increasingly become targets for criminal elements. The survivor's story highlights both the vulnerability of citizens and the resilience displayed by ordinary Nigerians facing security challenges.
