The gunmen opened fire in the early hours of Saturday, according to Pastor Olorunfemi Ojo, the church's resident pastor, who spoke to Daily Trust.
He claimed that as the church leaders prepared to lead night prayers, the thugs—numbering about 15—attacked the building.
Ojo claims that a few hours prior to the church attack, the elders had a confrontation with three unidentified males they had witnessed trying to breach the fence into Victory Primary School, which shared a boundary with the church.
He continued by saying that immediately after the meeting with the three individuals, a large group of the hoodlums broke into the church, smashed the windows, and forced their way inside.
He claimed that after that, the thugs attacked the church leaders and beat them with planks, shattered bottles, and stones while inflicting injuries on them.
However, the pastor claimed that some of the criminals who broke into the church were apprehended by vigilantes in a nearby operation that evening, despite the fact that security personnel had intensified their manhunt for the escaping criminals.
He continued by saying that the police had been contacted and that some policemen had arrived to assess the extent of the damage to the church.
SP William Aya, the Kogi State Police Public Relations Officer, claimed that the Nigeria Police "B" division in Lokoja, which is in charge of the case, has not given his office a briefing on the incident.
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