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Hunters Service, Police arrest three men who attacked Celestial church, raped member during night vigil in Osun
A combined effort of operatives of the Nigerian Hunters and Forest Security Service, NHFSS with the Nigeria Police Force has led to the arrest of three men who allegedly attacked a church during night vigil in Osun state.
While parading the suspects, the Osun state Police Command said the men attacked worshippers at the Celestial Church located in Odu Village near Osogbo.
The suspects allegedly attacked the church during a vigil in the early hours of Tuesday.
During the attack, the perpetrators abducted 12 members of the church, but the victims fled from their captors when they ran into some hunters and other local volunteers that responded to the distress call.
During the incident, a member of the church, whose identity was not revealed, was reportedly raped by the perpetrators.
Narrating what transpired, a musician, who was invited by the pastor in charge of the church to the vigil, Esther Ayodeji, said, “I arrived at the church a few minutes after 10pm on Monday to prepare for the vigil. We commenced the vigil around midnight. After my ministration, my drummers were still in the church, but I stepped out.
“A few minutes later, from where I stood with the pastor, we started hearing gunshots. The church is located in a bushy environment, so, we all ran into the bush. At a point, seven of us met in the bush. We were six women and a man. As we were wandering in the bush, two armed men suddenly appeared in front of us and we all ran in different directions.”
Another member of the church, who did not want his name in print, said the church member that was raped had been attended to at a hospital, adding that the abduction failed due to the quick response of the villagers, hunters Service operatives and police personnel.
The state Police Public Relations Officer, Yemisi Opalola, who advised religious bodies against having programmes late in the evening or early morning, especially in centres located in isolated places, said the three suspects arrested near the scene were still being interrogated.
The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lieutenant General Waidi Shaibu, on Saturday, charged the newly commissioned officers to place national interest above all else and uphold absolute loyalty to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria..
He gave the charge while presiding over the Passing Out Parade (POP) of Executive Commission Course 2/2025 at the Nigerian Army School of Infantry (NASI), Jaji,
General Shaibu said the commissioning of this new set of officers form a critical component of the President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s renewed drive to reinforce Nigeria’s security architecture as contained in the declaration of a State of Emergency on Security.
He also said that the commissioning is part of the fulfilment of the President’s directive to expand manpower, strengthen frontline deployments and accelerate security stabilisation efforts nationwide.
The Army Chief expressed confidence in the quality of training received by the officers, noting that their exceptional display of parade and weapon handling reflects the Army’s rising standards at a time when the nation demands heightened operational vigilance.
He urged them to remain uncompromisingly apolitical, disciplined and subordinate to civil authority, stressing that professionalism and constitutional loyalty remain the bedrock of military service.
A Nigerian Air Force jet has ccrashed near Karabonde, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State.
This was disclosed by a Niger State-based online digital television network, Lapai TV, in a post on its official Facebook page on Saturday evening.
“Two Nigerian Air Force Pilots Reportedly Survive Alpha Jet Crash Close to Karabonde, Borgu Local Government Area of Niger State,” the post stated
The incident was said to have occurred Saturday evening.
At the time of filing this report, the military has yet to make any official communication about the incident.
Nigeria’s security agencies have reportedly uncovered a plan by some opposition politicians to organise protests in Sokoto and other northern states against President Bola Tinubu and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
Fresh intelligence reports made available to journalists on Friday show that former Senator Kabiru Marafa is the main arrowhead of the plot.
The group is allegedly working to discredit NSA Nuhu Ribadu and the Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle, by falsely linking them to bandit groups and using a Sokoto-based militia to trigger violent protests.
Sources say the Zamfara State Government, led by Governor Dauda Lawal, is strongly backing the plan and providing funding, determined to paint the federal security team as incompetent and force the removal of both Ribadu and Matawalle.
Security operatives detected the scheme this week, monitored several planning meetings in Gusau and Abuja, blocked funding channels, and quietly disrupted the operation.
No arrests have been made, but all the key figures are now under close surveillance.
The key figures are now being monitored by security agencies to track their key sources of funding.
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