BREAKING: Kwara in Mourning as Terrorists Slaughter ECWA Pastor After Collecting ₦5m Ransom — Demand Extra ₦45m Before Killing Cleric

Terrorists unleashing horror across Kwara State have brutally murdered Reverend James Audu Issa, a revered pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), despite collecting millions of naira in ransom from his impoverished family and community.

Rev. Issa was abducted on August 28, 2025, from Ekati village in the Patigi Local Government Area. His abduction sparked weeks of anguish as his family, church members, and the entire community scrambled to raise money for his release.

From ₦100m to ₦5m—But Death Still Came

According to credible sources, the terrorists initially demanded a staggering ₦100 million for the pastor’s release. After desperate negotiations, the ransom was slashed to ₦5 million. Villagers—many of them farmers struggling to survive—emptied their savings, sold properties, and borrowed money to meet the demand.

But in a chilling twist, after pocketing the ₦5 million, the bandits raised the ransom again—this time to ₦45 million. Before any fresh negotiations could be arranged, they killed the pastor, abandoning his body and plunging Ekati and the entire Patigi Emirate into grief and despair.

“This is nothing short of ransom-for-murder,” a source lamented. “The community sacrificed everything, only for these criminals to slaughter him without mercy.”

The killing of the cleric is the latest in a wave of escalating violence that has turned Kwara North into a hotbed of fear. Bandits have unleashed repeated attacks, abducting farmers, commuters, and even security officers with brazen impunity.

Only hours before news of Rev. Issa’s death broke, a police officer identified as Ezra was kidnapped in Patigi. The officer was ambushed while riding his motorcycle back from duty. Witnesses say his colleague escaped by sheer luck, but Ezra was overpowered and dragged into the bush as gunmen fired sporadically.

Meanwhile, in a separate attack on Wednesday, two brothers were abducted while working on their cassava farm in Bokungi Zambufu, Edu Local Government Area. One of the victims, Mohammed Mohammed, is a respected community leader and former President of the National Association of Nupe Students (NANUS).

The recurring abductions have sent shockwaves through agrarian communities, with many farmers now abandoning their fields out of fear. “We cannot continue like this,” one villager said. “If the government fails to act, farming will collapse completely in Kwara North.”

As of press time, security agencies have yet to issue any official statement on the pastor’s killing, the officer’s abduction, or the latest attacks. The silence has further deepened frustration among residents, who accuse authorities of abandoning them to the mercy of terrorists.

The killing of Rev. James Audu Issa—after his people paid a ransom they could barely afford—has now become a symbol of the worsening security nightmare in Kwara State, where hope is dwindling and despair is spreading.