“Bandits Forced Me Into Hiding” — Rev Omolehin Recounts May Evacuation

Rev Isaac Omolehin, founder of Word Assembly Ministries, says he has remained away from his home since security concerns forced the evacuation of his religious camp in Kwara State in May.

Omolehin explained that he and more than 100 vulnerable residents left the camp after police arrived around midnight with a warning that suspected kidnappers were planning an attack.

What happened that night?

According to Omolehin, the incident occurred between May 30 and May 31, 2026. He said he was not at the camp when police arrived, but officers warned those present to leave because information available to them indicated that kidnappers were on their way.

The residents reportedly evacuated during the night.

Omolehin said the suspected attackers subsequently arrived but found that the camp had already been deserted.

The account is based on Omolehin’s narration of the incident and the warning reportedly given by police.

It should therefore be distinguished from an independently established account of the alleged attackers’ identity or intentions.

Why he says he remains in hiding

Omolehin said the evacuation did not end his security concerns. He claimed he has since moved between different locations with his wife and children and has been unable to return to his home.

He also said he could not return to retrieve his vehicle and other belongings.

For a religious leader running a camp populated partly by vulnerable people, the episode illustrates how insecurity can disrupt not only ordinary residential life but also religious and humanitarian activities.

The wider security question

The most important issue in Omolehin’s account is not simply that he says he is hiding. It is that a security warning allegedly forced more than 100 people to abandon a place they considered home, apparently at very short notice.

That raises questions about how religious communities and other vulnerable populations in areas affected by kidnapping threats can receive timely warnings, evacuation assistance and protection.

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The available account does not establish that a specific bandit group attacked the camp. What it establishes is Omolehin’s claim that police warned of an imminent attack and that the camp was subsequently evacuated.

ValidViewNetwork reports that Omolehin’s account underscores the human cost of insecurity beyond the number of people kidnapped or killed: communities can also be displaced simply because remaining in place becomes too dangerous.