Pastor in Kwara Murdered by Bandits After Ransom Payment of N5 Million

Reverend James Audu Issa, a pastor of the Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), was brutally assassinated by robbers in Kwara State, even though he had gathered a ₦5 million ransom from his distraught family and community.
According to information obtained, the cleric was kidnapped from Ekati village in the Patigi Local Government Area on August 28, 2025.

His community, church members, and family banded together for weeks to raise the ransom in the hopes of getting him released.

According to Nupeko TV, an indigenous media outlet, the gunmen first sought ₦100 million in exchange for Issa’s release. The ransom was eventually lowered to ₦5 million after protracted discussions, which the community reluctantly collected and turned over.

The bandits allegedly sought an extra ₦45m after they had already collected the ₦5m. The preacher was murdered before new talks could start.

“This vicious act, also referred to as a ransom-for-murder scenario, highlights the viciousness of the bandit groups that are terrorizing Kwara North.” Ekati and the Patigi Emirate as a whole have suffered a great loss with the pastor’s passing, especially in light of the community’s tremendous sacrifice, the media outlet said in its broadcast.

The cleric’s death was said to coincide with a wave of violent attacks in Kwara North.

Along the Patigi-Lade road on Thursday morning, a police officer named Ezra was kidnapped by bandits.

A motorcycle was ambushed while Ezra, a native of the Ndanakun community, was returning from night duty. As his colleague managed to flee, Ezra was overcome and taken away.

SaharaReporters cited a source who said, “They were shooting guns sporadically,” adding that the kidnapping shows the boldness of armed groups operating in the Patigi and Edu LGAs.

On their cassava farm in Bokungi Zambufu, under Lafiagi Emirate, two brothers were abducted barely twenty-four hours prior.

A well-known community figure and former president of the National Association of Nupe Students (NANUS), Mohammed Mohammed, was named as one of the victims.

Witnesses reported that the two brothers were taken into custody when the gunmen invaded the farms, opened fire, and drove the residents away.

In Kwara North, where several kidnappings and murders are devastating agriculture and livelihoods, the attacks have increased anxieties among farmers and locals.

Local leaders blame the authorities for not living up to their rhetoric. “Our people can’t visit their farms anymore. We live in constant fear,” one homeowner bemoaned.

Regarding the pastor’s murder and the most recent kidnappings, security services have not yet released an official comment as of the time of publication.