The sudden disappearance of Mr. Seun Rotimi Ayoola, his wife Oluwatoyin Temitayo Ayoola, and their two young sons, Ayobami Albert Ayoola and Ayomipo Alfred Ayoola, has been linked to sustained religious persecution and threats to their lives, following Seun Ayoola’s conversion from Islam to Christianity.

Mr. Ayoola, who was born into a Muslim family, reportedly converted to Christianity in 2014, a decision that immediately strained his relationship with members of his extended family and the wider community. The situation worsened in 2015 when he married his wife in a church ceremony, an event that many of his family members boycotted in protest of his new faith.

According to accounts from the family, hostility soon escalated beyond social rejection. Mr. and Mrs. Ayoola were allegedly denied benefits and support ordinarily due to them within the family and community, as pressure mounted on them to renounce Christianity and return to Islam.

The threats reportedly took a more dangerous turn when some relatives were said to have joined an Islamic extremist group. The family began receiving direct threats warning that they would be publicly killed if they failed to convert back to Islam and openly denounce Christianity.

Tensions reached a breaking point on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, when armed bandits believed to be Islamic extremists attacked a church in the community, allegedly searching for Mr. Ayoola, his family, and other Christian worshippers. At the time of the attack, Mr. Ayoola was in the church choir with his first son, while his wife was elsewhere in the building with their second child.

In the ensuing chaos, Mr. Ayoola reportedly escaped through a back door with his first son, while his wife hid in a toilet with their younger child before fleeing the community after the attackers withdrew. Mr. Ayoola is said to have spent the night hiding in a nearby forest before running to safety the following morning.

A Good Samaritan reportedly assisted him with a mobile phone, enabling him to contact his wife, who had also escaped. The family later reunited and made a formal report at a police station. However, they allegedly became convinced that the authorities were unable to guarantee their safety, as no concrete measures were taken to prevent further attacks.

Further intelligence, according to the family, suggested that the extremist group had operatives spread across different parts of the country, leaving them with the belief that nowhere was safe. Fearing imminent danger, the Ayoola family reportedly went into hiding, prompting their disappearance from their last known location.

As of the time of filing this report, the whereabouts of Mr. Seun Rotimi Ayoola, his wife, and their two sons remain unknown, raising concerns among human rights advocates and faith-based groups over the growing risks faced by religious converts in parts of the country.