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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.
Two Nigerian-born scientists—Adesola Adegoke, a researcher at Arizona State University (ASU), and Seunnla Adelusi, a PhD candidate at the Université de Sherbrooke, Canada—have been named among the 20 global winners of the Digital GreenTalents Award 2025.
These two Nigerians were announced among the winners during a virtual ceremony held on 25 November. In a statement following the virtual announcement ceremony, the organisers said the 20 awardees for this year joined from different time zones, including “very early morning in Canada and evening hours in the Philippines.”
The digital Green Talent Award is an annual initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) that recognises outstanding young researchers whose work advances sustainability through digital innovation.
Each year, 20 scientists are selected from a competitive global pool for their cutting-edge ideas at the intersection of digitalisation and environmental sustainability.
Alex Otti, the Abia State Governor, on Sunday paid a visit to the detained leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, at the Sokoto Correctional Centre.
The governor was accompanied by officials of the Sokoto State Government during the closed-door visit.
Nnamdi Kanu was recently moved to Sokoto after he was convicted on terrorism-related charges and handed a life sentence by a Federal High Court in Abuja.
Governor Otti had earlier promised to pursue every lawful and political avenue to ensure that Kanu gets justice. Sunday’s visit is seen as part of ongoing efforts by the Abia State Government regarding his case.
Details of the meeting were not made public as of the time of this report.
Armed terrorists have abducted a bride-to-be, her bridesmaid, and eight other residents from Chacho village in Wurno Local Government Area of Sokoto State
The Sokoto abduction occurred around 1:30 a.m., according to residents, when the attackers stormed the village. Most of the victims were women, with only one man also taken.
One resident sustained injuries and is receiving medical treatment. Villagers told reporters that the bride was preparing for her wedding scheduled for later that morning when the raid struck, plunging the community into shock and mourning.
A community member described the attack as “tragic,” noting the delay in security response. “Security operatives were alerted immediately, but they only arrived about an hour after the bandits had fled,” he said, expressing frustration.
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