A midnight evacuation of Evangelist Isaac Omolehin's camp in Kwara State, Nigeria, has left over 100 vulnerable residents, including orphaned children and staff, displaced. The evacuation was triggered by a warning from police officers about an impending bandit attack. The camp, which housed a primary school, secondary school, hospital, old people's home, and rehabilitation centre, has remained deserted since May 31, 2026. Omolehin, the founder of Word Assembly Ministries, has appealed to the Federal and Kwara State governments to deploy adequate security to the camp.
The camp was targeted by bandits shortly after the evacuation, but they found the facility empty. Since then, Omolehin, his wife, and children have been forced into hiding, constantly moving between locations to avoid targeted attacks. Omolehin described his situation as being "homeless" with his family. The forced closure has dealt a devastating blow to the vulnerable populations supported by the ministry, including orphaned children and staff.
Prior to the raid, the camp operated a range of facilities, including a hospital, schools, and a rehabilitation centre for women with mental health challenges. The centre also housed an old people's home. Omolehin stated that "bandits chased us out of that place. The school cannot open, the hospital is not functioning, and the patients and nurses all ran for their lives." Over 100 residents remain scattered across various locations due to the lack of security clearance.
Omolehin believes the threats against his camp are part of a wider campaign against him. Three days after the Kwara camp was targeted, armed men attacked his ancestral village in Kogi State, killing several people. He suspects that the attackers turned on his village after failing to find him at the ministry's facility. The primary threat to the camp remains violent kidnapping.
In addition to the security threats, opportunistic local thieves have taken advantage of the deserted property to loot electronics, fans, and mattresses. This has taken a heavy toll on the facility's intact physical structures. Despite ongoing social media abuse and administrative restrictions on his ministry, Omolehin remains resolute. He noted that "Jesus already told us that our preaching may be resisted."
Omolehin has written to the police, submitted reports to the Department of State Services (DSS), and contacted the Kwara State Ministry of Social Welfare, but has received no official clearance or response regarding when it will be safe to resume operations. He has urged government authorities to improve security so that he can return to the camp with his family and the people in his care.
The cleric highlighted that many of the orphans in his care were originally placed there by state agencies. He appealed to the government to consider the children they entrusted to his care, saying "some of the children in the orphanage were brought to us by the government. Even if they say they don’t care about the rest of us, what about the children they entrusted to us?"
Key points
- Evangelist Isaac Omolehin's camp in Kwara State was evacuated at midnight due to bandit attacks, leaving over 100 vulnerable residents displaced.
- The camp housed a range of facilities, including a hospital, schools, and a rehabilitation centre for women with mental health challenges.
- Omolehin has urged government authorities to improve security so that he can return to the camp with his family and the people in his care.
