Tension boiled over in Eruku, a community in the Ekiti Local Government Area of Kwara State, on Wednesday as enraged residents took to the Kwara–Kogi highway, blocking the major interstate corridor to decry yet another deadly terrorist attack in the area.
By dawn, youths had already dragged tree trunks, planks, tyres, and other makeshift barricades onto the road, creating an impenetrable barrier that crippled traffic in both directions.
The usually busy route linking northern and southern Nigeria was reduced to a long, silent queue of stranded vehicles, with frustrated commuters either stuck in place or trekking along bush paths to continue their journeys.
Protesters, many of them visibly shaken by the previous night’s events, insisted they would not clear the roadway until authorities took concrete steps to protect the community. The blockade, they said, was a last resort after repeated appeals for security reinforcement went unanswered.
Residents recounted that the latest assault occurred on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, when heavily armed terrorists stormed Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) in Eruku during a worship session.
The attackers reportedly opened fire, killing at least three congregants before abducting several others. The brutality of the invasion has left the community reeling—church activities have been suspended, and many locals now avoid venturing out after nightfall.
Protesting youths listed a series of demands: the immediate deployment of security operatives, a permanent military presence along the vulnerable Kwara–Kogi border axis, improved intelligence operations, and consistent patrols to deter future incursions.
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They urged both the Kwara State Government and federal security agencies to treat Eruku’s plight as a national security emergency rather than an isolated rural incident, stressing that border towns had become soft targets for marauding terrorists.
As of Wednesday afternoon, the standoff had yet to be resolved, with demonstrators insisting that only firm government action—not mere promises—would persuade them to reopen the highway.
