Armed robbers rob and forcefully engage with female church members during a night vigil

A Nigerian woman has shared a chilling account of an armed robbery attack she witnessed inside a church during a night vigil in 2018.

Accoring to her, it’s one of the most terrifying experiences of her life.

According to her testimony, she and other worshippers were deep in prayer when armed men stormed the church, robbing congregants, assaulting women, and leaving one usher critically injured.

“Being robbed in the house of God is the scariest thing to me. That should be a safe place, but these people didn’t care,” she wrote in her account.

She recalled that the ordeal began when the lights suddenly went off, even though the generator was still running.

As the chief usher attempted to check the situation, a gunshot rang out, leaving him bleeding on the floor.

The armed men then ordered the entire congregation to lie flat at the altar.

The attackers reportedly poured petrol on the worshippers, threatening to set them ablaze, and declared: “This is an operation of no mercy.”

Terrified, the woman said she clung to her mother and began confessing her sins as the gunmen walked over the congregants.

The robbers picked out two women, seized worshippers’ belongings, and locked the congregation inside the church. It was only through the quick thinking of the pastor, who had a small phone charging in the choir room, that help was called.

Nearby church members who had not attended the vigil rushed to free the victims, and the injured usher was taken to hospital.

Tragically, she recounted hearing that the same gang attacked another church shortly after, where a woman who resisted them was killed.

The survivor admitted that the trauma kept her away from night vigils for a long time, saying it took persistent encouragement from her mother before she could return to church gatherings at night.

Since then, she revealed, her church adopted stricter safety measures, including locking the doors during vigils.

Being robbed in the house of God is the most scariest thing to me. That should be a safe place, but these people don’t care.
In 2008, we were having our normal vigil when suddenly the light went off, but Gen is still working. d chief usher wanted to go and check when we suddenly. https://t.co/r6sYXsAQ2L

— Hephzy’s Cakes ? (@IconicPrincess6) September 30, 2025