Thirteen people were abducted from a church in central Nigeria’s Kogi State during Sunday morning prayers, marking the second such attack in recent weeks, authorities said.

The assault took place at the ‘Winning All’ evangelical church in the village of Azi Kiri. Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingali Fanao, reported that five of the attackers were killed, while the remaining gunmen escaped despite sustaining injuries.

The government described the assailants as “bandits,” highlighting a growing pattern of kidnappings and extortion in the region. Two weeks ago, gunmen abducted a pastor, his wife, and seven worshippers from a church in the town of Ijaba.

Residents said efforts to secure the release of the hostages have so far been unsuccessful. Commissioner Fanao noted that “the tremors in Niger and Kaduna states have led to the movement of bandits in Kogi State,” linking recent attacks to regional instability.