In a trend of rising clerical targeting, armed actors invaded a church service in the Anyigba axis of Dekina LGA. The attackers disrupted the worship with heavy gunfire, leading to the death of the presiding pastor. Several members of the congregation were subsequently bundled into waiting vehicles and taken to an unknown destination. This attack shares a tactical "echo" with a similar raid on a church in Ejiba (Yagba West) just eight days prior.

Perpetrators

Unidentified Armed Actors

Response

The Kogi Police Command and local vigilante groups launched a manhunt in the surrounding bushes. The State Government, via Commissioner Kingsley Fanwo, condemned the "desecration of worship centers" and assured that security had been tightened around "soft targets" across the state's three senatorial districts.

Displacement

0

Socioeconomic drivers

Kidnapping-for-ransom economy, sectarian intimidation, and expansion of terror networks into Kogi.

Trajectory

The shift from "abducting" a pastor in Ejiba to "killing" a pastor in Anyigba suggests a dangerous escalation in the lethality of Bandits cells operating in Kogi. It signals a move away from purely commercial kidnapping toward more violent, punitive strikes.

Cycle notes

This mirrors the 2022 Owo Church massacre and the 2023 Plateau Christmas Eve raids. While the scale here is smaller, the intent—attacking during Sunday service to maximize casualties and fear—remains a persistent tactic in the North Central region.

Pattern

The Clerical RansomCycle — The Anyigba attack is part of a broader "Christmas season" strategy where Bandits target church gatherings. Churches provide "high-yield" environments where many victims are concentrated in a predictable location with limited security.

Source

• https://www.lindaikejisblog.com/2025/12/kidnappers-kll-pastor-abduct-church-members-in-kogi.html